When Real Madrid returned to Valdebebas to begin preparing for the 2025–26 season, three new faces joined Xabi Alonso’s training session.
After a brief summer break, Real Madrid’s star-studded squad came together for the first time since the FIFA Club World Cup to get back to work. The Spanish giants have just two weeks until they face off with Osasuna in their first La Liga clash under new boss Alonso.
The Spaniard not only welcomed back his superstars in Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but he also called-up several Real Madrid Castilla standouts. According to ESPN, Manuel Ángel, Diego Aguado and Daniel Yáñez all participated in the first-team training session.
The La Fábrica products are no strangers to Real Madrid, though. In fact, all three players have extensive experience at the club, with some even featuring for the first team last season.
Let’s take a look at the three emerging talents that could find themselves playing under Alonso sooner rather than later.
Manuel Ángel
- Position: Midfielder
- Age: 21 years old
- Market Value: €500,000 ($579,000), per Transfermarkt
Ángel is a 21-year-old midfielder that joined La Fábrica in 2018. The Sevilla-native rose through the ranks in Los Blancos’ academy until he got the opportunity to play for Real Madrid Castilla in 2023–24.
The Spaniard, who dons the No. 8, made 49 appearances for Real Madrid Castilla in the last two seasons. In Ángel’s 3,501 minutes playing in the Primera Federación, the midfielder recorded two goals and three assists.
Although a quick ascendancy into Alonso’s plans moving forward is unlikely, Ángel could be in for a few first-team opportunities next season. After Luka Modrić’s departure and Dani Ceballos’s potential exit, Real Madrid will need midfield depth, especially in the case of injuries.
It helps that Ángel is versatile enough to play practically anywhere in the middle of the park, giving Los Blancos a potential defensive or central midfield reinforcement, along with a new No. 10 option.
Diego Aguado
- Position: Defender
- Age: 18 years old
- Market Value: €1 million ($1.2 million), per Transfermarkt
Real Madrid fans might recognize Aguado from his performance in the Copa del Rey last season. The 18-year-old made his first-team debut in Real Madrid’s 5–0 victory over Deportiva Minera, filling in at center back while Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, Éder Militão and Aurélien Tchouaméni were out injured.
The defender only misplaced four passes and won 100% of his aerial duels in his 90 minutes on the pitch. Although those were the only minutes he logged for Los Blancos last season, he was a frequent call-up for Carlo Ancelotti, making Real Madrid’s squad for La Liga, Champions League and Spanish Super Cup matches, along with the Copa del Rey.
Aguado also made Alonso’s squad for the Club World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the most promising defensive talents at Real Madrid Castilla and could be a natural successor to the aging Rüdiger and Alaba in the years to come.
As far as his immediate chances of playing under Alonso, the teenager will have to wait in line behind the aforementioned center backs, as well as new signing Dean Huijsen and Raúl Asencio.
Daniel Yáñez
- Position: Forward
- Age: 18 years old
- Market Value: €150,000 ($174,000), per Transfermarkt
Yáñez is an 18-year-old winger from Cádiz. The teenager, who joined La Fábrica in 2019, featured for Real Madrid Castilla last season, where he made 13 appearances and scored one goal under club legend Raúl’s leadership.
The forward most recently played in Real Madrid Castilla’s preseason opener against Marbella before earning himself a spot in training alongside the superstars of the first team. The call-up for Yáñez did not come as a surprise; after all, he made Ancelotti’s squad multiple times last season, and even debuted against Girona on Dec. 7, 2024.
Yáñez is at his best on the right wing, but he can also play on the left if need be. He also is capable of playing as a No. 9, though Real Madrid have too many strikers to choose from at the moment.
Despite Yáñez’s promising skill, his position might hurt his chances at truly breaking into the first team. Alonso already has Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Brahim Díaz, Franco Mastantuono, Arda Güler and even Fede Valverde to deploy on either wing, severely limiting the Real Madrid Castilla product’s opportunities.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Meet the Three Real Madrid Castilla Players Xabi Alonso Called-Up in Training.
