Carlo Ancelotti has “no doubts” about defender after impressive performance against Manchester City | OneFootball

Real Madrid had a lot to be excited about after their 3-1 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday, which booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Kylian Mbappe scored his first hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu, while Aurelien Tchouameni had a standout performance on his return to midfield. One of these that went under the radar involved Ferland Mendy, who looked back to his best at left-back.

It’s not an understatement to say that Mendy has had a very difficult season up until now. The 29-year-old has generally performed at a low level, and as a result, he has found himself out of the team on regular occasions.

Mendy has not been trusted in La Liga by head coach Carlo Ancelotti, given that he has played zero minutes in Real Madrid’s last five league matches. Fran Garcia has been preferred, although he has also struggled to reach his own best level when called upon.

Fran Garcia has been starting over Ferland Mendy in La Liga (Photo by Didac Garcia)

However, the performance that Mendy produced against Man City, during which he nullified the threat of numerous dangerous players including Savinho and Phil Foden, has changed a lot in Ancelotti’s head. As per Marca, he now has “no doubts” that the Frenchman will be the man he relies on at left-back for big matches, meaning that Garcia and Eduardo Camavinga, who has been utilised in the position in the past, will not be called upon barring any injury or suspension issues.

Over the last 12 months, there has been a lot of transfer speculation surrounding the left-back position at Real Madrid. Club bosses had hoped to sign Alphonso Davies this summer, but that is no longer possible after he signed a new contract with Bayern Munich. That was good news for Mendy, who will hope that he can establish himself as the regular starter for at least one more season.