Real Madrid suffered a shock Champions League defeat against Lille on Wednesday night, and Carlo Ancelotti has identified one player as his side’s weakest link.
Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 away to Lille following a 48th-minute penalty from Jonathan David.
It was not his side’s best night at the office, and Ancelotti was understandably unhappy with Madrid’s lacklustre performance.
"Lille were better and deserved to win. We were bad and slow tonight," the Italian told reporters after the game, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
"We didn’t create, the possession was slow, no ideas. We were bad under every aspect."
Although the entire squad must stand up and take responsibility for what was an out-of-character display, one player’s abysmal showing stood out more than others.
Left-back Ferland Mendy was tormented all evening by Lille’s Edon Zhegrova.
The 29-year-old experienced such a troublesome first half that Ancelotti hauled him off at halftime for Fran Garcia.
And according to Defensa Central, the Real Madrid boss is tired of the Frenchman’s performances and would prefer he is moved on.
Mendy recently penned a deal until 2027 so is under no pressure to leave the Spanish capital.
However, with Ancelotti pushing Florentino Perez to sign Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies it seems Mendy’s days, certainly as a regular starter, are numbered.
Since the start of the season, Mendy, despite starting in all six of Madrid’s La Liga games so far, has failed to register a single goal or assist.
Davies, on the other hand, continues to impress in Germany. The 23-year-old will be out of contract at the Allianz at the end of the season, and showing no signs of committing to a new deal, looks to be heading to Madrid to link up with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.