'There is no Arda Guler problem' - Carlo Ancelotti adamant youngster needs time to find his feet at Real Madrid

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has rubbished claims that there are any problems between him and Turkish youngster Arda Guler, who was handed a rare start on Wednesday evening as Madrid saw out a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Recent weeks have been rife with speculation that Guler isn't enjoying his time at Real Madrid under the tutelage of Ancelotti, who had handed him only 291 minutes of action since the turn of the year in 16 games.

Guler's lack of playing time gave way to rumours that the Turkey international was contemplating a summer exit, with further reports claiming that the Madrid coaching staff was not particularly pleased with the midfielder's attitude in training in recent weeks.

While Guler failed to create anything noteworthy in the final third, his defensive work-rate left a good impression on Ancelotti, who had nothing but words of encouragement for the No.15.

"Arda worked very well in his position, helping a lot in defence," Ancelotti asserted after the Sociedad game (h/t AS).

"I read that there’s a ‘Guler problem,’ but there is no case here. It’s a process — for him and for all young players. The same happened with Rodrygo, Vinicius [Jr.], [Fede] Valverde… He needs time to integrate into the best squad in the world. Everyone understands that. And those who don’t, need to.”

Real Madrid await a challenging period, with five matches scheduled over the next 15 days, where they face Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano, and Villarreal in La Liga, alongside a Champions League Round of 16 double-header against local rivals Atletico Madrid. These upcoming battles will be demanding, and opportunities for the likes of Guler will be few and far in between.