“That’s what they asked of me at Real Madrid, not to bring in young players” - Ancelotti explains reason behind Arda Guler substitution

Carlo Ancelotti was pretty clear on why he replaced Arda Guler in Real Madrid's easy 3-0 home win over Cadiz on Saturday, May 4.

After the game, Ancelotti was asked about the 19-year-old Guler, who played well but was replaced by Jude Bellingham, who scored his team's second goal. The Italian coach replied by saying that Guler was tired and that he needed fresh legs on the pitch.

"Arda Güler played the role he had to play, because he’s very young. I replaced him because he got tired and I wanted to have fresh legs to win the game. That’s what they asked of me at Real Madrid when they signed me, not to bring in young players," Ancelotti said, via Get Football News.

Arda Guler had an excellent outing against Cadiz tonight. He has played nine games across all competitions this season, scoring twice.

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Carlo Ancelotti says Arda Guler will stay with Real Madrid next year

Arda Guler didn't have much playing time in his debut season with Real Madrid and there was speculation that he could leave the club at the end of the season. However, Carlo Ancelotti made it clear that the 19-year-old attacking midfielder will stay with the club for at least another season.

"There's no doubt he'll [Guler] stay here next year. I think they did very well. They've performed well on the pitch. He's battled, he's fought. He's staying next year, there's no doubt about it. He is very young. Little by little he will have his role. It's quite clear that he has scored more goals than minutes played. That's the gift he has," the Italian coach said a few days ago, via Goal.com.

Real Madrid reportedly paid Fenerbahce £25.4 million to sign Guler and they want to invest in him and help him elevate his game. In the meantime, according to Goal.com, Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen have shown interest to land Guler, but, as Ancelotti said, it is unlikely he will leave.