As Thursday's preseason friendly against AC Milan draws closer, Real Madrid's young center backs Raul Asensio and Hacovo Ramon are facing a major test in their careers. According to an in-depth analysis by Mundo Deportivo, coach Carlo Ancelotti has high hopes that the two youngsters will show enough strength to carry the load in the preseason. However, once their performance fails to live up to expectations, Real Madrid may have to turn to the transfer market to fill the void in the center back position.
A number of Real Madrid's international players are still out at the moment due to tournaments such as the Europa League and Copa America, making it a challenge for Carlo Ancelotti to make adjustments to his squad. In this context, he is placing more emphasis on the potential and performance of young players, especially Raul Asensio and Hacovo-Ramon. Both players are expected to play a major role in the pre-season to prove their ability to contribute to the team.
However, Real Madrid are currently not ideally staffed at center back. Nacho's departure has left the team's backline looking even more empty, while David Alaba is still recovering from a ruptured cruciate ligament injury despite his return and is still some way off his best form. Therefore, the performances of Raul Asensio and Hacovo-Ramon will be directly related to Real Madrid's stability and strength at the back.
For Raúl Asensio, it is the fourth center back position that he is most likely to fill. A standout player for Castilla, he had a place in Girona's reinforcement program, but Ancelotti would prefer to see him get his feet wet in the first team. However, it will all depend on how he actually performs in pre-season.
In contrast, Hakovo Ramon's situation seems to be even more difficult. As one of the best in Real Madrid's youth system, he faces even more competitive pressure. However, Carlo Ancelotti has also made it clear that Real Madrid are unlikely to deprive the 19-year-old of significant playing time for the sake of his personal development if he fails to become a starting center back. This certainly provides a stage for Hakovo Ramon to showcase his talents.
However, if neither of the two young players are able to fulfill Ancelotti's expectations, then Real Madrid will have to look at the transfer market to strengthen the center back position. Until David Alaba fully recovers, the team will have to ensure that they have a plug-and-play player at center back. Therefore, the transfer market may become one of the alternatives for Real Madrid to solve the center back crisis.
