Rival view: Xabi Alonso eyes David Jimenez or Jesus Fortea as Carvajal - Trent injuries expose Real Madrid's right-back depth

Xabi Alonso is weighing call-ups for academy right-backs David Jimenez or Jesus Fortea after injuries to Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold complicated Real Madrid’s depth on the right. From a rival lens, this is the perfect storm: a heavy schedule, a brittle veteran, and no clean short-term fix. Alonso may trust the kids, but the margin for error at elite level is brutal. This is the kind of problem that tilts tight games. Expect opponents to target Madrid’s right corridor early and often.

Spanish outlet AS signaled that Real Madrid are bracing for a shortfall at right-back, prompting Xabi Alonso to prepare academy promotions from Valdebebas. The situation emerges ahead of a dense winter run of league and cup fixtures, with training ground assessments pointing to limited senior cover on the flank. Internal discussions have included David Jimenez and Jesus Fortea as immediate depth options while medical updates on the senior names are monitored day to day.

🚨 Xabi Alonso could call up David Jimenez or Jesus Fortea due to Carvajal and Trent’s injuries. @diarioas

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

From a pure game model standpoint, this is a structural hit for Real Madrid. Carvajal is a rhythm full-back whose timing with the right-sided 8 and winger helps Madrid escape pressure and create third-man runs. Lose that - even for 3 to 5 weeks on paper, likely longer in reality - and you remove one of Madrid’s cleanest progression lanes. Trent, as an external option or parallel reference in any short-term solution, being injured too closes off the quick-fix route.

Alonso’s choices narrow to three buckets: 1) promote a specialist full-back like David Jimenez or Jesus Fortea; 2) redeploy a center-back like Eder Militao to the channel and flatten the back line; 3) lean on Lucas Vazquez while rotating heavily. Option 1 preserves width and crossing angles but loads a teenager with high-stakes decision-making under the press. Option 2 stabilizes aerials but concedes overlap threat. Option 3 risks fatigue management.

Opponents will cue traps on Madrid’s right, overloading the half-space to bait rushed passes. Expect a surge in forced turnovers in that corridor and fewer quality carries into the final third. On set plays, losing Carvajal’s blocking and recovery speed also nudges expected goals conceded upward. In short - this is exactly the kind of micro-edge a rival lives for.

Reaction

Fan sentiment splits into two clear camps. One side is all-in on the kids - the chorus of “about time we put faith in youth” is loud. There’s real excitement around Fortea, especially with the reminder that Madrid pried him from Atletico, which cranks up the expectation that he should not just be there to train but to play. The same group sees the moment as a platform: those first senior minutes can stick if the personality fits.

The other camp doubts long-term viability. Questions pop up like whether Jimenez or Fortea can become steady backups to Carvajal or if they’re stopgaps until the market opens. Some propose pragmatic reshuffles - sliding Militao wide, tightening the block, and keeping academy minutes to late cameos. A few even name-check alternative youngsters, arguing for different profiles. Overall mood: cautiously hopeful about the academy, but wary of throwing them into a title race fire without a veteran buffer.

Social reactions

Great to see Jimenez and Fortea stepping up! With Carvajal and Trent injured, they could shine under Alonso. Exciting times for Real Madrid's academy!

it's sai rose (@14764Sairose)

As one door closes, then another door opens

✨∞Book Mu Nipa∞💫 (@_1nepiece)

About time we put faith in youth for once

Out of Context Context (@outofcontextfb1)

Prediction

Three scenarios look plausible. Scenario 1 - Alonso starts Lucas Vazquez in league play and sprinkles 15 to 25 minutes for Jimenez or Fortea across two matches. This hedges risk while giving the kids a taste of pace and contact. Scenario 2 - a back-three in buildup, with the right wing-back role shared between a youngster and a midfielder shuttling wide, to reduce exposed 1v1s. Expect conservative positioning and early subs if the press falters. Scenario 3 - full trust in a specialist academy right-back for a Copa del Rey tie to test ceiling under pressure, then re-evaluate for league minutes.

Market angle: if the right flank wobbles across the next 3 to 5 fixtures, Madrid will accelerate January options. Names with low adaptation cost - Spanish-speaking, tactically schooled in a high line - will jump the queue. If a promoted youngster survives the first two starts without high-profile errors, Alonso keeps the door open through spring and flips the depth chart. Rivals will keep hammering that side regardless - it is the rational pressure point until proven otherwise.

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Conclusion

Strip away the noise and you get a cold rival take: this is Madrid’s most targetable weakness right now. Carvajal’s stop-start fitness knocks chemistry, and even optimistic timelines tend to slip when minutes pile up. Trent battling his own issue elsewhere removes a shiny Plan B. That funnels Alonso toward Valdebebas, where the profile fit exists but the variance is high. If a kid nails his body shape in defensive transitions and holds serve in aerials at the back post, he keeps the shirt. If not, teams will spam diagonals and isolate him ruthlessly.

Madrid will still manufacture territory with volume and talent. But title races are decided on thin margins - a mistimed step here, a second ball there. From where rivals sit, this is the moment to go after them. Until a stable right-back solution appears, it stays the smartest bet on the board.