The real reason Real Madrid blocked 30-year-old defender’s summer departure – report

Ferland Mendy’s injury record at Real Madrid is now going from a matter of concern to mockery, for the player appears to be facing a new setback immediately after being declared fit time and time again.

Real Madrid’s clash against Atletico Madrid was his first serious appearance since November, and he did a decent job coming off the bench for 21 minutes.

Once again, however, he has been ruled out of the final after facing a setback, and Real Madrid are now growing frustrated with his fragile fitness.

A dicey decision

Mendy is injured yet again. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

As relayed by Rodra in a recent update, Mendy had offers on his table in the summer with a few clubs interested in his signing ahead of the season.

The offers, however, considered his fragile fitness and involved payments based on the number of games played, something even Real Madrid did not expect to fare too well in his case.

Eventually, Real Madrid decided to keep the player despite signing Alvaro Carreras and having Fran Garcia as a backup. In all likelihood, the decision was linked to the club’s idea that Mendy would not play too much due to injuries.

Last season, the Frenchman missed a staggering 142 days through injury and barely played a part in Real Madrid’s season. His situation was expected to improve in the new season, but that has far from been the case.

Mendy has already suffered two injuries this season that have kept him out for 82 days and he is now beginning his third spell out starting today. At this point, Real Madrid has to ask serious questions as to whether it is even possible to sell the player next summer.

So far this season, Mendy has played just one minute in La Liga, 90 minutes in the UEFA Champions League, and 21 minutes in the Spanish Super Cup. Considering that half the season has passed, his situation appears extremely complicated.