While the likes of Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard et al. have claimed the headlines for themselves since the resumption of the Spanish Liga season after the coronavirus hiatus, Real Madrid’s resurgence over the past few weeks has been built on a solid defence.

Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane’s centre back partnership is among the strongest in the European game right now, with Marcelo and Ferland Mendy rotating in and out of Zinedine Zidane’s starting lineup to great effect. And at right back Dani Carvajal has found fitness to become a reliable performance once again after some injury troubles.

Carvajal could have some competition for his place after the summer, though. Achraf Hakimi is set to return to the Santiago Bernabeu after two years on loan at Borussia Dortmund, with the Moroccan earning a reputation for himself as one of the brightest young players in the European game at this moment.

Hakimi is a formidable force down the right wing and having been given his first chance at Real Madrid by Zidane there’s reason to believe he will be given another chance in the Spanish capital next season. Along with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Takefusa Kubo, both of whom are also out on loan this season, Hakimi is seen as the future of Real Madrid.

Those who doubt that Zidane can satisfy both Hakimi and Carvajal in the same squad should look at how he has used Marcelo and Mendy. The latter is widely seen as Zidane’s first choice at left back, with the Frenchman quickly settling in following his transfer from Lyon last summer, but Marcelo has still proved his worth over the course of the campaign.

“We’ll see after the season,” Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said when asked whether Hakimi, as well as Jadon Sancho, will still be at the club beyond the summer. “Of course, players will leave. We hope the players will stay, but it is possible that players will leave. You have already mentioned two [Hakimi and Sancho] that we don’t definitely know about. Of course, they could stay with us, which would be very good for me. But we’ll see what we’ll do, whether it’s in defence, midfield or attack.”

Squad depth is something Real Madrid have over Barcelona and the return of Hakimi to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer could give them another advantage over their fiercest rivals. The Moroccan still has some work to do in order to refine his game, particularly in the defensive sense, but he is a player with great potential and it appears destined that he will fulfil that potential in the Spanish capital.

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