Carlo Ancelotti happy one Real Madrid player did not leave

Real Madrid did not make too many changes to the squad that won the Champions League and La Liga double last season. Of course, Kylian Mbappe was a major addition and there are a lot of expectations surrounding Endrick as well, but other than that, there were no signings. On the other hand, Nacho was the only significant departure.

There was speculation around the future of a lot of Real Madrid players though. One of them was Dani Ceballos.

Ceballos had enjoyed a promising 22/23 campaign and signed a contract extension last summer. But he barely featured in the 23/24 season, leading to speculation about an exit this summer.

Even ahead of deadline day, it was believed that Ceballos leaving was on the cards. But ultimately, it did not materialise and he stayed on at Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti happy one Real Madrid player did not leave

Ancelotti is someone who does not like to make a lot of changes to his squad. And he seems to be happy that Ceballos has stayed put at Santiago Bernabeu for the time being. As reported by AS, the Real Madrid manager said:

"He is an important player for us, it is true that he has not had the minutes he wanted or deserved, but we are happy that he has stayed with us and he will be very useful for the team."

Ceballos staying on has to be a positive for Real Madrid for sure. On one hand, Toni Kroos retired at the end of last season. He was still a starter for Los Blancos. On the other hand, Luka Modric will turn 39 next month and is not expected to play as regularly as he has done in the past.

So, there might be a role for Ceballos in the middle of the park. Of course, he is not expected to be a starter for Real Madrid. But it is very possible that he could have a decent-level squad role in Ancelotti's team this season if he can impress when the chances do come.