A 17-year-old defender promoted indefinitely in the first team of Real Madrid by Carlo Ancelotti

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Real Madrid would be without the services of Dani Carvajal for the rest of the season. The 32-year-old, who recently finished fourth in the 2024 Ballon d'Or standings, suffered a serious knee injury against Villarreal, and his expected layoff period is at least 10 months.

In the wake of Carvajal's injury, Real Madrid has evaluated his situation at right back. Lucas Vazquez will be the first choice going forward, while Eder Militao is also an option that Carlo Ancelotti can use when needed. Also, Jesus Fortea is someone who is also available.

Fortea has been training with the first team in recent weeks, and second MarcoAncelotti has now decided to promote the 17-year-old from the U19s – the idea is for him to stay with the senior team for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

Ancelotti's decision suggests Real Madrid not signed a right-back in January – it makes sense, given that they want to secure the services of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who would only be available next summer.