Real Madrid back Arda Guler could finally play for his team when La Liga games start up again this week after the winter break in Spain.

Guler went from Fenerbahce to Real Madrid in July for €20 million (£17 million). Early in the season, he hurt his knee, and other problems meant that the 18-year-old Turkish player would not play a single minute for his new team until the end of 2023.

In December, Madrid chose not to rush Guler onto the field. This means that he will not play in his first game until at least 2024. So there is now hope that Guler will play for the first time this week when Mallorca comes to the capital. He trained “normally” again on Monday.

After months of failures, Guler needs to get healthy and fit again, so the fact that he can train without stopping is a good sign for the smart kid. There will be another chance to train on Tuesday before the Bernabeu game on Wednesday night.

Guler came off the bench for Madrid’s La Liga game against Rayo Vallecano at the beginning of November. But the tight 0-0 tie was not seen as the right time for him to start. He has not been able to do that since then, but there are signs that his chance will soon come.

Vinicius Junior could also play against Mallorca for Madrid again. A torn muscle in his thigh kept him out for six weeks while he was on foreign duty in South America in November. But now the Brazilian says he is fully healthy again.

“Thank you, I am fine.” Now the boss only has to make a choice. I am ready to go now. “How much time is left in the season?” He thinks, “I pray that we win many titles in 2024.”