Nacho Fernandez Form Will Cover Sergio Ramos Injury Absence for Real Madrid

Nacho Fernandez will have a chance to make his mark in the Real Madrid first team following the news that first-choice centre-back Sergio Ramos will face at least five weeks on the sidelines.

Ramos hobbled off in the early stages of Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday. Per AS, tests confirmed that he had suffered a torn hamstring and could be out of action for as long as six weeks.

Carlo Ancelotti was, however, slightly more optimistic in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s derby away to Atletico Madrid.

While Ramos will clearly be missed, his absence does give one of the lowest-profile members of the Madrid squad the opportunity to step out of the shadows and into the limelight.

Born and raised in the capital, Nacho joined the Madrid academy in 2001 and made steady progress through the ranks prior to his debut in 2011. He bounced between the Castilla and first-team squads for a couple of seasons before becoming a permanent member of the senior group ahead of the start of last season.

The 25-year-old is the quiet man of the squad. He is seemingly content with his role as a backup defender and reticent to seek a move elsewhere despite his relative lack of playing time. Per Jose Felix Diaz of Marca, he was happy to sign a new contract through to 2021 despite interest from the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli and Schalke.

Intelligent, focused and capable of playing at centre-back or in either of the full-back positions, he is a valuable resource for a coach to call upon in times of need.

And Saturday’s derby at the Vicente Calderon very much represents a time of need for Ancelotti.

First-choice centre-backs Ramos and Pepe are both out injured, while Marcelo could also be absent after the club’s initial appeal against the yellow card he received against Sevilla was rejected. Ancelotti does, though, remain hopeful on that front.

What is clear, however, is that Nacho and Raphael Varane will be paired from the beginning for only the fourth time this season.

Their three previous starts came in the 4-1 and 5-0 victories over Cornella in the Copa del Rey and the 4-0 home win over Ludogorets in the Champions League. They also played together for the majority of the match against Sevilla following the early departure of Ramos.

Yet despite the fact that they will be facing an in-form strike partnership in Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic—scorers of 11 of Atletico’s last 15 league goals—Ancelotti is sure that they will be up to the task.

“I have confidence in the pair of Nacho and Varane,” he said in his pre-match press conference on Friday, as per Inside Spanish Football. “They’re enthusiastic and eager to play. I’m convinced they’ll do well.”

Ancelotti’s faith in Nacho will certainly have been bolstered by his performance on Wednesday. He made some very timely interceptions—including a couple of vital ones to stop Vicente Iborra—and was solid and secure throughout.

Team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa was quick to praise him in the aftermath.

“Nacho, as always, put in a 10-out-of-10 display,” he told the club's official website (h/t Inside Spanish Football).

It was, indeed, the sort of performance that Nacho regularly produces when called upon—a fact that has not gone unnoticed at Valdebebas.

Per Diego Torres of El Pais (in Spanish), Madrid’s coaching staff were left confused by recent rumours linking the club to Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte, such is their belief in Nacho as a viable first-team option.

The 25-year-old is not a complete stranger to the derby, having started at left-back in Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Atletico at the Vicente Calderon back in April 2013. However, on Saturday, the stakes will be that much higher.

Against the reigning champions and in the centre of defence, Nacho will have an opportunity to prove that he is a worthy replacement for the injured Ramos and perhaps a future challenger for a regular first-team place at Real Madrid.