Zinedine Zidane may only have one option at left-back until the return of Fabio Coentrao from injury, but the French coach won't be panicking given that the one left-back he does have available is the increasingly reliable Marcelo.
Since arriving at the club in 2007 - when he transferred from Rio de Janeiro side Fluminense - the Brazilian has been a dependable option at left-back, but he is now playing some of the best football of his career and is even taking on extra responsibilities as a leader of the team.
As well as being the player most used by Zidane during the club's pre-season matches, the 28-year-old also demonstrated that he can drag the team forward when called upon.
With a number of starters injured or on holiday, the defender scored three goals in Los Blancos' International Champions Cup matches - one against Paris Saint-Germain and two against Chelsea - to truly lead by example.
It was a similar story in the UEFA Super Cup, when he helped out his colleagues in attack to get Real Madrid over the line.
Given how impressive he has been so far this summer, the fact that Coentrao is out injured until October - after sustaining a serious injury while on loan at Monaco in April - the lack of a backup should not become a problem unless Marcelo picks up a suspension or injury.
In that case, Nacho - who is a natural centre-back, not a left-back - would slot in.
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