Real Madrid will resume their La Liga campaign on Sunday when they take on Real Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Leading up to the game, AS is reporting that manager Carlo Ancelotti and his staff are considering resting star midfielder Federico Valverde this weekend.
The Uruguayan international returned to the team after the international break a day later than the rest of his teammates, having travelled to Asia where he led La Celeste in friendlies against Japan and South Korea.
Valverde, as per the report, is the player who has had the most minutes under his belt at Real Madrid in 2023. The midfielder has played a total of 1691 minutes out of a possible 1920 minutes for Los Blancos since the turn of the year amounting up to 88%.
On top of that, he played the entire 180 minutes across two matches for Uruguay during the international break.
Hence, given the amount of workload he has had to bear, Ancelotti and his staff are thinking of resting Valverde this weekend, so as to allow him to recharge his batteries and come back fresher and stronger for the next stretch.
Real Madrid have some vital games coming up starting with the Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona next week, which will be followed by tough fixtures versus Villarreal (La Liga) and Chelsea (UEFA Champions League).
The 24-year-old has netted 12 goals in 42 appearances for Real Madrid this season, which makes him the club’s third-highest goalscorer behind Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema (both 19).
Given Valverde’s importance within the team, it would be prudent for Ancelotti & co. to give the midfielder a break.
Rodrygo, who was away for just one game with Br azil, or Marco Asensio, who did not play for Spain, could be options for Real Madrid on the right flank where Ancelotti has deployed Valverde more often than not this season.