da blaze casino： Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has denied rumours that his club will search for a new centre-back in January, despite suffering an injury crisis.

da supremo： Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Rudiger only centre-back available for this weekAlaba and Militao out for season with knee injuriesAncelotti backed Carvajal, Tchouameni to fill voidWHAT HAPPENED?

Los Blancos are in desperate need of centre-back reinforcement after their presumptive starting pair both suffered season-ending ACL tears before the Christmas break. And after backup Nacho picked up a suspension due to a red card received against Alaves, Rudiger is the club's only available central defender.

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Despite the apparently dire situation, the manager has backed his existing options to see him through the season: "We are not contemplating signing another centre-back. We are missing two, two important pieces, but we have two others, who are very important, and we have emergency solutions like [Aurelien] Tchouameni and [Dani] Carvajal."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Los Blancos have called on their squad for emergency options before. Tchouameni played centre-back against Osasuna when Alaba and Militao were injured, while Carvajal has logged minutes in central defence in the past.

(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MADRID

It appears that, unless a major switch is made, Los Blancos will go through the remainder of the season with just two first team centre-backs. Those efforts will start tomorrow when they face off against Mallorca in La Liga.