Real Madrid keeper takes U-turn on future as Ancelotti is left without request

Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin looked as if he was set to leave the club this summer, seeking first team football. However it appears he may stick around.

Lunin will see out the final year of his contract, as per Diario AS, and continue acting as back-up to Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian was not without injury issues last season, and Lunin appeared 12 times.

He was not to the standard Carlo Ancelotti required though. The Italian requested a different back-up last summer, attempting to bring David Ospina to the club, but ultimately was unsuccessful. Ancelotti was not best-pleased with some of the goals conceded by Lunin, and was keen to see a different back-up come in this transfer window.

Yet it appears that Ancelotti will not see his request met. Part of Ancelotti’s appeal to Florentino Perez is his willingness to work with what he is given, but it will no doubt furrow Ancelotti’s brow that this more minor request has not been filled. Last summer he was also keen to bring in a back-up for Karim Benzema, an oversight Real Madrid paid heavily for, with Benzema never quite hitting the previous campaign’s heights.