Antonio Blanco put in an impressive performance for Spain's under-21s on Tuesday night in what is just his second match for La Rojita, and now he returns to Real Madrid with the hope of forcing himself into Carlo Ancelotti's plans.
Real Madrid face Celta Vigo at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night and this a match in which Blanco could start, as both Casemiro and Fede Valverde will only head back to the Spanish capital after playing for Brazil and Uruguay respectively on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti has three midfielders out due to injury in Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Dani Ceballos, which means that his options will be limited for the visit of Celta.
In addition, once Real Madrid have played Celta, Los Blancos will play their Champions League group-stage opener away at Inter on Wednesday, so this could lead to Ancelotti being overly protective when it comes to the returning international players.
Isco and Camavinga
This is where Blanco, who has been included in all three of Ancelotti's squad lists but has not yet featured, comes into the picture.
After shining with Spain's U21s and playing one match with Castilla, the 21-year-old will be hoping that the circumstances at Real Madrid and his performances with La Rojita could lead to Ancelotti giving him the nod to start on Sunday night.
Eduardo Camavinga is in a similar position, having displayed his quality with France's U21s during this international break, and he will begin working under Ancelotti's orders from today, September 8.
Over the international break, the only out-and-out midfielder that the Real Madrid boss had available was Isco, who seems likely to start against Celta.