Valencia's right-back crisis deepens as options continue to dwindle
With Foulquier undergoing knee surgery and Thierry Rendall still finding fitness after long-term injury, Valencia face a serious problem at right-back.
Valencia’s right-back situation has gone from concerning to downright desperate, leaving Corberán scratching his head for solutions as injuries pile up faster than London buses.
Mounting injury crisis
The situation at the Mestalla has reached critical levels with Dimitri Foulquier now undergoing knee surgery. The club confirmed on Thursday that the defender has successfully had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will remain hospitalized for “the next few hours” - but no timeline for recovery has been provided.
To compound matters, Thierry Rendall isn’t exactly in apple pie condition either. The Portuguese full-back only managed 20 minutes against Real Madrid after returning from a hamstring injury, which itself followed nearly a year out with an ACL rupture. According to reports from 90 Minuts, he’s not feeling particularly confident about his physical state.
As if that wasn’t enough aggro, Rubo Iranzo - who’s more of a centre-back by trade and has only featured in Copa matches - is also in the treatment room with a knee sprain. Initially there were fears of something more serious when he felt his knee ‘crunch’ during training at Paterna, but while he’s avoided surgery, his return timeline remains unclear.
Limited solutions
Corberán’s options have essentially been reduced to:
- Continuing with the makeshift solution used against Real Madrid - deploying Unai Núñez in a hybrid centre-back/right-back role with Rioja operating as a wing-back
- Fast-tracking Thierry’s return despite fitness concerns
- Waiting for Iranzo to recover
The Real Madrid solution creates its own problems for the upcoming derby, as Copete’s suspension would force César Tárrega into the starting lineup despite his own knee problems affecting his performance.
Youth and free agent options
The club has reportedly considered dipping into the free agent market, which would require requesting Foulquier’s federation registration be withdrawn by submitting medical reports confirming a long-term injury - similar to what happened with Diakhaby.
The youth ranks don’t offer much hope either. Miguel Monferrer (2006) is playing regularly for Miguel Ángel Angulo’s B team but isn’t considered ready for the first team. Winter signing Pedro Gomes arrived with Primera División Portuguese experience at Boavista but hasn’t even debuted for the reserves due to an ankle injury picked up in training.
For Corberán, it’s turning into a proper nightmare with no obvious solution in sight. Talk about being caught short at the back!