- Midfielder has lost his place since World Cup
- Eduardo Camavinga impressing in same position
- Snubbed Liverpool to join Madrid last summer
WHAT HAPPENED? The defensive midfielder has endured a mixed season since making a €100 million (£85m/$107m) move from Monaco last summer. After establishing himself as a regular before the World Cup, he has seen his minutes slashed since his return from Qatar.
And after losing his starting spot to Camavinga in the French national team, Tchouameni's form has been called into question.
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WHAT THEY SAID: Tchouameni asserted that his inconsistency over the last few months is nothing to worry about: "I am confident, I know what I can do. There can be difficult moments in an athlete's career, and it's the first time it happened to me - but I'm still learning. There's a lot of competition at Real and you need to be good to play."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The 23-year-old hasn't played 90 minutes since the World Cup final, and has started less than half of his possible fixtures since then. He fell out with Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti after attending an NBA Paris game instead of watching his team while out injured.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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Getty Images
(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? Tchouameni has returned to Real Madrid training, where he will hope to be involved as Los Blancos take on Valladolid.