Dani Carvajal is very tense about his new role at Real Madrid since he was medically cleared in early January following his latest injury that required surgery. This tension was evident in Valencia, where a moment was captured of the White team captain speaking with fitness coach Pintus after not playing a single minute at the Mestalla Stadium. It was the fifth consecutive league match where he was available but did not see any playtime. Until then, he had only played a few minutes in the Copa del Rey against Albacete and in the Champions League against Monaco.
Since then, the full-back has played thirty minutes in the rout against Real Sociedad, and especially in Pamplona, where Álvaro Arbeloa started him last weekend, but had to substitute him at the 64th minute because he couldn’t stop the White academy player, and now at the Navarrese club, Víctor Muñoz. In between was the Champions League tie, in which he only played one minute during the first leg in Lisbon. Last Tuesday, he had to watch the entire match against Benfica at Santiago Bernabéu from the bench again.
This situation has clearly affected the veteran player. Not just because of his limited role at Real Madrid, but also because not playing reduces his chances of attending this summer’s World Cup. It would be his last appearance wearing Spain’s shirt, where he serves as captain after 52 international caps.
Carvajal’s nervousness became evident last week during a training session at Valdebebas. During a play, Dani Carvajal struck academy player Víctor Valdepeñas, causing a knee sprain that will sideline him for 3 to 4 weeks. Valdepeñas is a key player for Castilla and has already debuted this season with the first team, doing so in Mendizorroza due to injuries to Álvaro Carreras and Fran García.
But the worst part was Carvajal’s reaction. The veteran did not show any sign of concern for the academy player after causing such a serious injury, which prevented him from playing with Castilla last weekend. It is a clear symptom of the difficult moment the Real Madrid captain is experiencing.