Real Madrid: 3 reasons defense can be even better next season
Young players making progress
Ferland Mendy is a young player at the age of 25, but this section is dealing with players even younger than him who are under the age of 25. Players like Sevilla left back Sergio Reguilon, right back Alvaro Odriozola, and goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
All three of them are expected to be on loan again for the 2020-2021 season, but there’s a chance one of them establishes themselves as a key backup for the first team next season. Reguilon needs regular playing time and Marcelo probably won’t be sold, so another loan at Sevilla is likely.
Meanwhile, Odriozola could also go out on loan to a La Liga club where he’d actually have a chance to play, since Bayern Munich were never going to give him minutes over Benjamin Pavard. Odriozola struggled at times in 2019-2020 before his loan move, but his match against Granada showed that he can play at the highest level. He’s better than nothing behind Carvajal.
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Playing time is a consideration for Andriy Lunin, who is one of Europe’s most impressive goalkeeper prospects. But he’s already a better option than Alphonse Areola, who struggled mightily in the final game of the season at Butarque. Keep an eye on Lunin’s potential return as an upgrade to the seldom-used backup spot behind Thibaut Courtois.