Ancelotti not expecting January signings for Real Madrid due to Alaba recovery

Real Madrid are stretched to the bare bones in defense this winter, with only Jesus Vallejo and Antonio Rudiger available as natural centre-backs for Carlo Ancelotti. Castilla product Raul Asencio is expected to feature in the coming weeks, but Ancelotti is not holding out hope for the signings he wants in the winter window.

Ancelotti has made it clear to the club's hierarchy that he considers signings necessary to compete on all fronts this season, but he will not make any demands. Relevo says Ancelotti does not expect to have any reinforcements available and is preparing to use Aurelien Tchouameni in his backline for the rest of the season. It means that Eduardo Camavinga should be used more regularly at the base of midfield.

This is evident from the information from Diario AS, which states that the recovery of David Alaba will lead Real Madrid to avoid any possible additions in January. The Austrian is finally making meaningful progress from his knee injury and is expected to return in January. The club believes that Ancelotti has sufficient ammunition for the second half of the season with Rudiger, Tchouameni (again at the end of November) and Alaba, with Asencio as an emergency option.

Alaba is finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel in their words, although it is noted that his meniscus has complicated his recovery and is not much different from the problems that recently retired Raphael Varane faced. Every two weeks he travels to Innsbruck in his native Austria to be examined by doctor Christian Fink, to whom the player entrusts his recovery.

The fear for fans and Ancelotti in that case would be that one of their three trusted options also suffers an injury. Rudiger is under increasing pressure, Alaba will have to be brought back slowly and Tchouameni has not had a clean fitness record over the past two years.