Real Madrid news: £43m Alvaro Carreras stakes claim after starring in Rayo Vallecano win

Alvaro Carreras delivered a timely reminder of his quality as the £43m Real Madrid defender played a decisive role in Saturday's 4-1 La Liga victory over Rayo Vallecano.

Much of the attention at the Santiago Bernabeu inevitably fell on Kylian Mbappe, who responded to his costly penalty miss against Real Betis by scoring twice, while Vinicius Junior also played an important creative role.

However, Carreras arguably had more to gain from the afternoon than either of Real Madrid's superstar forwards.

Marc Cucurella was rested by Jose Mourinho, handing the 23-year-old an opportunity at left-back after a difficult first season had raised questions over his position at Real Madrid and whether he could justify the €50m (£43m) investment made to sign him from Benfica.

Carreras responded by winning the penalty for Madrid's opening goal before getting on the scoresheet himself, turning what could have been a routine rotation appearance into a significant statement in the battle for minutes.

Carreras reminds Real Madrid why they spent £43m

Vinicius helped create the opening breakthrough when his work down the left released Carreras into the penalty area, where the full-back was brought down.

Mbappe stepped up and converted from the spot, putting his miss against Betis behind him and giving Madrid an early platform.

Carreras was then directly involved again, this time as the scorer.

Combining neatly with Mbappe in a tight area, he continued his run into the box and finished the move himself to double Madrid's advantage.

Jude Bellingham later added a third after being supplied by Vinicius before Mbappe completed his brace late on.

For Carreras, though, the performance carried particular significance.

The Spaniard arrived from Benfica with major expectations after Real Madrid paid around £43m for a player still only 22 at the time.

His first months showed promise, but his form dipped during the second half of last season and the size of the transfer fee increasingly became part of the conversation around his performances.

His career path will also be familiar to Premier League followers.

Carreras left Real Madrid's academy for Manchester United in 2020 and was named the club's best Under-23 player in 2021-22 before spending loan spells at Preston North End and Granada.

He later moved to Benfica, where his development accelerated sufficiently for Madrid to bring him back to the Bernabeu.

Saturday's display offered a reminder of the attacking qualities that made him such an expensive investment in the first place.

Carreras did not merely provide width; he repeatedly attacked the space around the penalty area and combined effectively with Madrid's forwards, most notably Mbappe.

Could Carreras now challenge Cucurella for Real Madrid place?

One strong performance is unlikely to overturn Mourinho's hierarchy immediately.

Cucurella has established himself as the first-choice left-back, with Carreras retained as his main backup, and was only left out against Rayo as part of Madrid's rotation.

Nevertheless, Carreras could hardly have done more with the opportunity he was given.

That is particularly important because Mourinho has already shown that competition for places will remain intense across the squad this season.

Carreras now has evidence that he can offer a more aggressive attacking alternative from left-back, especially in matches where Madrid expect to dominate possession and spend long periods in the opposition half.

His combinations with Vinicius and Mbappe also demonstrated how useful an overlapping presence can be when Madrid's wide attackers move into central areas.

The defensive questions that followed him during parts of last season will not disappear because of one afternoon against Rayo, but his contribution at both ends of the move for Madrid's opening two goals should strengthen his case for further opportunities.

For Madrid, the 4-1 win was primarily about responding to the previous weekend's defeat against Betis.

Mbappe did that individually by returning to the penalty spot and converting before adding a second goal, while Vinicius showed his value without needing to score himself.

Carreras' response was different.

After spending much of the past year attempting to live up to a substantial transfer fee, the former Manchester United youngster used a rare chance to remind Mourinho that Madrid may still have more than one serious option at left-back.

Cucurella may remain ahead for now, but Carreras ensured that the next decision on the position will be slightly more difficult.