Among the recent opportunities given to academy players in the first team of Real Madrid, one situation has drawn particular attention: the sudden absence of David Jiménez. The 22 year old right back was the Castilla player with the most involvement with the senior squad around the turn of the year. He received several call ups and appeared in four matches.

Jiménez started both Copa del Rey fixtures against Talavera and Albacete, played a few minutes against Sevilla in La Liga, and was the surprise choice in the starting lineup at Mestalla Stadium against Valencia on February 8. On that night, coach Álvaro Arbeloa began to show a stronger commitment to academy players as the team dealt with injuries. Jiménez started ahead of Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had only recently returned from injury. Madrid won the match and the young full back delivered an impressive performance.

However, that appearance turned out to be his last with the first team so far. Despite Arbeloa continuing to promote academy talents, Jiménez has not appeared in another matchday squad since the game at Mestalla. The return of Alexander Arnold to top form and the continued presence of Carvajal, who reportedly pushed for more playing time after starting that match on the bench, led to Jiménez returning to Real Madrid Castilla. Since then he has only joined the first team occasionally in training sessions.

The unusual situation surrounding the defender has not gone unnoticed across the market. Several clubs, including teams from La Liga, have already shown interest in signing him for next season. If he does not feature in Real Madrid’s long term plans, something that remains possible despite his promising breakthrough, a summer departure from Valdebebas could become inevitable as offers continue to arrive.

Jiménez is under contract until 2027 and already attracted attention from other clubs last summer. He is currently one of the most sought after players in the Castilla squad. According to Transfermarkt, his market value stands at five million euros, making him the fourth most valuable player in the reserve team. Only Thiago Pitarch, Cestero and Palacios currently have higher valuations.

At Castilla level, Jiménez is competing with Fortea for the starting right back position. This season he has played 22 matches for the reserve side, including 20 in the league and two in the Premier League International Cup. He has scored one goal and is currently the team’s top assist provider with six. His latest assist came last Saturday in the league match against Lugo.

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