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Under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid are entering a completely new era in their history. Without bankable stars like Raphael Varane and long-term servant Sergio Ramos at their disposal, Los Blancos have the arduous task of staying competitive. If the recent past has anything to say, Real Madrid have struggled in this transitional period following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018. With Zinedine Zidane failing to revive the club in his second spell, the 34-time La Liga champions are in dire need of some stability.
Real Madrid and their new signings
To say that Los Merengues had a disappointing transfer window would be an understatement. While they suffered multiple casualties on all fronts, Real Madrid could only make two signings to compensate for the loss. David Alaba joined on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, signing a five-year contract that will cost the Spanish giants, €115m over the said period. Nevertheless, his versatility to play as a left-back, as well as a center-half, will bring some much-needed depth at the back.
In an astonishing turn of events, Real Madrid announced the surprise transfer of French wunderkind Eduardo Camavinga from Rennes, hours before the deadline day's conclusion. At €31m, the 18-year-old central midfielder could prove to be an astute signing on Real Madrid's part. He will definitely learn a lot from the dynamic duo of Toni Kroos and Casemiro, with the aim of booking his own place in the starting line-up one day.
The two new signings should patently be utilized to their maximum potential. But there are several players in the Real Madrid squad who should be given the boot as soon as possible. With the hindrance caused due to their growing playtime in mind, let's take a look at five players that Carlo Ancelotti should scarcely use in the 2021-22 season:
#5 Mariano Diaz
Kicking off our list in fifth place is Dominican outcast Mariano Diaz. The 28-year-old striker, having received his footballing education from Real Madrid's esteemed academy, departed the club in 2017 in search of greater first-team opportunities. For €8m, Olympique Lyon had bagged a potential superstar from Los Merengues.
Mariano scored 21 goals and assisted a further six in his solitary season with Lyon, prompting Real Madrid to recall him for €21.5m. Following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure in 2018, he was handed the prestigious number 7 jersey. However, that is where the fairy tale ends. Mariano has since gone on to make 62 appearances for the club, most of them coming from the bench. In the subsequent three seasons, the Dominican international only managed to net a meager 11 goals.
With Mariano failing to hit the ground running, Real Madrid recruited Luka Jovic for €63m in 2019. While the Serbian international had a miserable first season at the Bernabeu, Jovic is still only 23. Having recouped some of his form during his loan spell with Frankfurt, the skilled target-man will be looking to revive his Real Madrid career this season. It will only be possible if Ancelotti chooses to overlook Mariano and pick Jovic as Karim Benzema's understudy.
#4 Rodrygo
Signed up for a massive transfer fee of €45m, Rodrygo became one of the most expensive teenagers at the tender age of 18. Two impressive seasons with the first team at Santos propelled Real Madrid to splash an insane amount of cash on the youngster. Rodrygo, following a similar career path to that of Neymar, obliged at the first time of asking and moved to Europe in 2019.
After a bright start to life in the Spanish capital, Rodrygo's career stagnated. A decent debut campaign that reaped 12 goal involvements was followed up with just two goals in 33 appearances in the second one. Furthermore, a hamstring injury and inconsistent run of form restricted Rodrygo to just 1,298 minutes across all competitions last season.
With Gareth Bale returning to the Bernabeu after a season-long vacation at Tottenham, Ancelotti would be wise to deploy him on the right flank. If Marco Asensio can maintain his fitness, Rodrygo's chances this season will be very few and far between.
Also read: 5 world-class footballers Real Madrid failed to sign
#3 Eden Hazard
Real Madrid's record signing following Cristiano Ronaldo's untimely exit, Eden Hazard was expected to help Los Blancos kick off a new era in their history. Instead, the Belgian wideman has spent most of his time in Spain on the treatment table, suffering from 12 separate injuries in the past two seasons.
Despite having only one year remaining on his Chelsea contract, Real Madrid forked out a massive €115m to acquire Hazard's services in 2019. The productive playmaker has managed to make just 46 appearances for the men in white, scoring a paltry five goals. Last season saw Hazard don the Real Madrid jersey for a mere 896 minutes across all competitions.
With Vinicius Junior starting the season in red-hot form, Hazard could see his game-time reduced even further to accommodate the youngster. Starting on the left-flank, Vinicius has managed to score three goals in as many games. If he continues to impress, the only logical step at Ancelotti's disposal would be to drop the 30-year-old injury-prone dribbler in favor of the Brazilian.
#2 Lucas Vazquez
A quintessential squad player, Lucas Vazquez has managed to maintain his position in Real Madrid's team for a far longer period than his abilities should permit. Vazquez is a product of the fabled La Fabrica, graduating to the senior squad in 2015. The Spaniard was never rated as a youngster. Yet, he has racked up more Real Madrid appearances than Ronaldo de Lima, Kaka and Angel Di Maria, just to name a few.
Primarily a right-winger, the utility man has been deployed in various positions to balance the team's dynamics. While not an excellent player of any sort, Vazquez has managed to get the job done every time he has been summoned. In injury-riddled seasons, the 30-year-old Spanish international has also been used as an interim right-back.
Due to Real Madrid's paper-thin squad, Vazquez continues to enjoy the inflow of opportunities to date. Having played under four different managers, the cheeky forward has managed to outlast every single one of them. If Real Madrid are to leave their troubled past behind, Ancelotti needs to drop Vazquez as soon as possible.
#1 Jesus Vallejo
The fact that Jesus Vallejo is still contracted to Real Madrid is a baffling one. Many fans would've assumed that after five different loan spells, the Spaniard would have definitely been given the boot. Nevertheless, six years on from signing his first-ever contract with the senior squad, Vallejo continues to be on Real Madrid's payroll.
Vallejo was touted to be the next defensive superstar at the Bernabeu, destined to follow in Sergio Ramos' footsteps. However, the error-prone center-back tanked massively and is considered to be a washed-up player at the age of 24. Disappointing loan spells with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Granada have only deterred the youngster's cause.
With Real Madrid failing to add any quality defenders to their ranks following the combined exits of Raphael Varane and Ramos, Ancelotti has very limited options on his hands. However, Nacho has proved to be a half-decent defender and David Alaba is capable of playing in the center. The Italian tactician will most probably end up resting Vallejo for the majority of the season. And rightly so.
Also read: 5 Real Madrid legends who left on free transfers
