Despite excelling as a center defender for Chelsea, Antonio Rudiger has been given a new role at Real Madrid.
The German star, 29, moved to the Bernabeu this summer on a free transfer, signing a deal with a reported weekly salary of £315,000 until 2026.
When it’s possible, Carlo Ancelotti appears to be planning to keep him out of the defensive center.
Instead, in this past weekend’s 1-0 preseason loss to Barcelona, quick Rudiger played left defender.
Ferland Mendy, the regular left-back, was consequently benched.
Most people anticipated that Rudiger would play center back this year.
However, Ancelotti is hesitant to sever the backfield partnership of David Alaba and Eder Militao.
Last season, they demonstrated their success as a team by winning the Champions League and LaLiga.
Alaba, however, enjoyed his ascent to the top when playing left-back for Bayern Munich and is still more than capable of doing so.
And since Rudiger, Militao, and Alaba are all available, Real may adapt to a back three if wanted.
