Football: Carreras denies reports of Real Madrid dressing-room bust-up

Madrid, May 6 (IANS) Real Madrid defender Alvaro Carreras has denied reports of a dressing-room bust-up, saying recent claims about him “do not correspond to reality”. The 23-year-old, who joined from Benfica last summer, has fallen out of favour with coach Alvaro Arbeloa in recent weeks.

Spanish radio station Onda Cero reported that Carreras had been struck by a teammate following an argument between La Liga games against Alaves and Real Betis.

Carreras responded with a statement on social media. “In recent days, certain insinuations and comments have arisen about me that do not correspond to reality,” he wrote. “My commitment to this club and to the coaches has been absolute from day one and will continue to be so.

“Regarding the incident with a teammate, it’s a minor, isolated matter that’s already been resolved. My relationship with the whole team is very good. Hala Madrid!”

Carreras was overlooked in Sunday’s 2-0 win away to Espanyol, with Fran Garcia preferred at left back after Ferland Mendy suffered a season-ending muscle injury, Xinhua reports.

Garcia is expected to retain his place when Real Madrid faces Barcelona in Sunday’s Clasico, where anything other than a Madrid win would see Barcelona crowned La Liga champion.

Real Madrid’s campaign this season has been filled with inconsistency, disappointment and pressure, but recent revelations suggest the emotional atmosphere within the squad has also deteriorated significantly over the course of the year.

According to the latest reports from RMC Sport, as relayed by Defensa Central, the dressing room harmony has weakened, relationships between several key figures have become strained, and frustrations are no longer kept hidden.

Meanwhile, midfielder Dani Ceballos is now also dealing with physical problems after suffering discomfort in his right ankle. According to a report from MARCA, it has come to light that the Spanish midfielder trained individually indoors on Wednesday, working in the gym instead of joining the rest of the squad on the pitch.

But the reality is that Ceballos had already disappeared entirely from Arbeloa’s plans long before the ankle discomfort emerged. The midfielder has not played a single minute since recovering from injury at the start of April, despite being medically available for selection.

–IANS

bsk/