The reason for Mendy’s halftime substitution against Manchester City: New injury?

Real Madrid C.F.

Ferland Mendy has reappeared as one of the new options at left-back, during a period marked by the lack of continuity of several players. His performance against City showed a very high first half, although the match also reopened the debate about his physical condition.

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At halftime, the coaching staff chose not to continue with the Frenchman and prepared alternatives for the second half. With Carreras out due to injury, the plan on that flank remains affected by setbacks.

The return of Ferland Mendy has been one of the most visible moves on the left-back, a position hit hard by absences. The Frenchman, greatly affected by injuries in recent times, produced an outstanding first half against City, but he again showed signs of discomfort and Arbeloa ordered Fran García to start warming up during the interval.

With Carreras injured — a regular starter in that position for much of the season — Real Madrid approached the second half without Mendy on the pitch. In recent weeks, the defender had accumulated many minutes and had become the coach’s first choice, even before Carreras’ setback, and that workload ended up taking its toll.

The halftime substitution was explained as a precautionary measure: Mendy felt a cramp in his right leg and the staff preferred not to take risks, considering he was coming off a long period of competitive inactivity and had chained too many minutes.