Raul Asencio set for Real Madrid chance as defensive crisis hits Jose Mourinho
· Yahoo Sports
Real Madrid currently have five center-backs in their first team squad. They brought in Ibrahima Konate, who has already established himself as a fixed starter for Jose Mourinho, during the summer, signing him for free after he ended his contract at Liverpool. The Frenchman thus joined Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, and Raul Asencio, to be another center-back option for the Merengue team.
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Militao is currently injured, and it remains to be seen when he will return to availability, but there is no doubt about his quality, and the club would be hopeful he can get back to his best shape and form soon.
Meanwhile, it can be easily argued that among these players, Asencio is the one with the lowest chances of breaking into the starting eleven. In addition to the tough competition from other center-backs, some of his personal problems have also not helped his case. First, it was his court case that kept him in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, and then, recently, he was caught driving drunk, leaving another blemish on his name.
However, there is no doubting his commitment to the club and his determination to fight for a spot in Mourinho’s plans. This was clear from the way he rejected three important offers, from Chelsea, Liverpool, and a Turkish club, even though both Real Madrid and Mourinho were ready to see him depart.
Now, as MARCA has noted, stars seem to be aligning for Asencio to get his desired opportunity to start and show the Portuguese coach that he can be a reliable option. Konate suffered an injury while training with France, and remains a doubt for the game against Villarreal, for which Huijsen would also be suspended following his red card against Atletico Madrid.
Raul Asencio has already shown that he can play under pressure, and hopefully, he will make the most of the opportunity if Mourinho decides to name him in his Real Madrid starting lineup for the game against Villarreal.