In normal circumstances, Mendy’s numbers and performances should have already prompted a move by the club to tie down a player who was undroppable for Zinedine Zidane and is now undroppable for Carlo Ancelotti.
Mendy has been left out of Real Madrid’s massive renewal plan
A Real Madrid starter practically since his arrival in 2019, there is a feeling that the club is still evaluating his performance with a view to a decision on his future, either to consider renewing him or to put him on the market. In normal circumstances, Mendy’s numbers and performances should have already prompted a move by the club to tie down a player who was undroppable for Zinedine Zidane and is now undroppable for Carlo Ancelotti. There have been contacts, but a little more. Surprisingly, Mendy has been left out of Real Madrid’s massive renewal plan. In the summer of 2021, they renewed Luka Modric, Lucas Vazquez, Nacho Fernandez, Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois, Karim Benzema, Fede Valverde and Casemiro. Last summer, they followed the same path with Eder Militao, Vinicius and Rodrygo, three strategic players for the future project.
Ferland played 35 games out of 56
However, there has not been any news about the French full-back, who finishes his contract in 2025 (like Militao and Rodrygo before renewing). It is no secret that it is hard to replace Marcelo, who was a crucial part of Real Madrid’s recent success. There has also been talking about his physical condition. An undisputed starter, Mendy played 35 games out of 56 (62 per cent) last season, 38 out of 52 (73 per cent) in 2020/21 and 32 out of 51 (63 per cent) in 2019/20. That is three seasons in which he suffered eight injuries that kept him out for 277 days. Particularly worrying was the tibial periostitis that kept him out for 106 days and which the club followed with some concern.
However, this season he has put his physical problems behind him and is one of the few players who has not been injured, playing 17 of the 21 games (81 per cent) and being available for all matches. Despite his clear quality, he is the only player in Real Madrid’s usual starting XI who does not regularly feature for his national team and who will not be in Qatar, without counting Toni Kroos, who has retired from international football, and David Alaba, whose Austria side did not qualify. It’s certainly a strange case, considering he is the starting left-back for the Spanish and European champions.