Hugo de Llanos returns to action with Castilla after 18 months out

Raúl had brought Hugo de Llanos into Castilla to cover for several absences. The midfielder made a significant contribution to the reserve side, playing 16 matches and scoring twice in the first part of the season. Today, he returned to action with Castilla in a friendly against Lega B, after a year and a half away from the game.

The comeback could soon be followed by a place in a Castilla squad. De Llanos was injured in the closing stretch of the 24-25 season. His last match before the lengthy layoff came on 20 April against Rayo Majadahonda. He finished that season with 10 goals and two assists in 39 appearances across Castilla, Madrid and Juvenil A, in the Youth League.

From January, as Raúl regained players, De Llanos became more prominent with Madrid C. In the 23-24 season, after completing his time in the youth ranks, he joined the Real Madrid C squad. He had entered La Fábrica as a benjamín in 2013. Earlier, under Arbeloa in his final youth season, he had emerged as one of La Fábrica’s most promising prospects.

A midfielder, De Llanos was converted into a centre-forward, a change that lifted his output. He showed his ability to arrive in attacking positions and his striking power. In 2023, Ancelotti described Bellingham as “a modern player, ideal for today’s football”. At La Fábrica, De Llanos was compared with that profile of an all-action midfielder who could get forward and score. After returning to play, he could soon put an 18-month spell without football behind him.