Los Blancos currently have no fit players in that position going into Liga fixture at Villarreal.
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In a surprise move, Gareth Bale’s long-awaited debut for Real Madrid since becoming the world’s most expensive player of all time, could come in the left-back position, according to reports in the Daily Mail.
The 24-year-old finally completed his much-publicised transfer from Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur in the final days of the summer transfer window, with Bale eventually moving to the Santiago Bernabeu for a whopping £85m on a bumper six-year contract worth a staggering 300,00 euros a week in the Spanish capital.
However, so far the Wales international has been unable to pull on his famous No 11 Madrid shirt due to a succession of niggling groin and foot injuries, although Bale did manage to play the final half an hour for his country in their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Serbia in Cardiff on Tuesday night.
All of which means that Bale has now been penciled in to make his Madrid bow on the road against high-flying Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday night, although not in a familiar attacking role, but possibly as an emergency left-back.
And that is because both of Madrid’s current first-choice left-backs have picked up injuries while recently away on international duty with their countries, with Marcelo limping out of Brazil’s 6-0 friendly win against Australia on the weekend with a thigh problem.
Meanwhile the Brazilian’s understudy in Madrid, Fabio Coentrao, also sustained a knock playing for Portugal in their friendly with the Selecao in Massachusetts on Tuesday, raising the very real possibility of Bale being utilised in that role this weekend.
Bale started his career in defence as a youngster at Southampton, but has not played there for many years now after being moved forward to great effect by Tottenham, where he scored 26 goals last season.