Real Madrid’s win over Las Palmas was as dominant as it could be and was made possible only because of an all-round show from players across the field.
While the forwards were indeed at their best, one player who surprised and impressed on the night was Fran Garcia.
With Ferland Mendy not hitting the mark this season, the academy player has been growing into Carlo Ancelotti’s plans for a while now. However, it now appears that he has finally done enough to change the manager’s mind.
As relayed in a recent report by Defensa Central, Carlo Ancelotti has seen enough to change his mind about Garcia and his pecking order at left-back.
The report states that the manager no longer sees the Spaniard to be a substitute. He now sees Garcia as a starter, at least on par with Mendy.
Ancelotti may well still prefer to deploy Mendy for the big games owing to his defensive stability. However, the 25-year-old is slowly but surely ascending in prominence and looks on course to replace Mendy as a default starter.
Playing all 90 minutes against Las Palmas, Garcia racked up one assist, provided two key passes, created one big chance and completed 96% of his passes.
He has now started nine league games for Real Madrid this season and has overseen four clean sheets for the club.
The 25-year-old is valued by the management for his ability to balance out his defensive responsibilities with attacking flair, something the club were looking towards the market for.
It remains to be seen if Ancelotti trusts him with a start in the upcoming UEFA Champions League clash midweek. Should he keep his growth curve up, Real Madrid may not regret missing out on Alphonso Davies.