It may mean that the Italian turns to Real Madrid Castilla to bolster their attacking options. Alvaro Rodriguez has fallen down the pecking order, and Nico Paz is a talented option, but is not used to playing at the point of the attack. Cadena SER claim Gonzalo Garcia Torres is most likely to make the jump.

Last season Garcia Torres scored 35 goals for Alvaro Arbeloa’s under-19 side last season, and has moved up to Raul Gonzalez’s Castilla team, where he has started all but one of their matches, and has four goals in 12 appearances. At the age of 19, Garcia stands out for the intensity of his play, his ability to thread a pass, and also to beat his man. He is singled out as the most natural option if Ancelotti wants to turn to the youth ranks.

With Real Madrid always in ‘win-now’ mode rather than necessarily building for the future, it is understandable that managers are reluctant to trust the products from La Fabrica. That said, this is arguably the shortest squad that Real Madrid have had in a number of years, at least up front, and it may leave Ancelotti without a choice, especially if he wants to rest the options he does have.