Real Madrid are travelling to the United States, but something surprising is missing from Carlo Ancelotti's luggage. He is flying without a forward. None of the four that featured in last season's squad will be able to play on the pre-season tour.

In the case of the club's top goalscorer last season, Cristiano Ronaldo, the decision was made to give him extra time to relax and recover from an intense season. His body gave him various warnings over the final part of last campaign, and there were some worrying sights to behold during the World Cup.

The Portuguese star will relax for a considerable part of the pre-season training programme and it is not expected that Ancelotti will select him in either of the fixtures out in the United States.

The club's number nine will not visit the other side of the pond either. Benzema is currently enjoying some extra days' holiday leave given France's World Cup campaign lasted until the quarter-final stage. The Frenchman will return to training after the North-American tour and will also put pen to paper on a new deal with Real Madrid at the same time.

Another man who is more than qualified not to travel to the land of Stars and Stripes is Jesé Rodríguez, whose knee injury would prevent him from participating.

The pack of absent strikers is completed by Morata, who will officially become a Juventus player in the upcoming days. He will therefore not enjoy playing time for Real Madrid in the United States like in previous summers. His former position as a youth player taking advantage of opportunities to make an impact during the pre-season tour could be taken by Raúl de Tomás or possibly Rubén Sobrino. Both forwards came up through the ranks at La Fábrica and are now being observed by Ancelotti's beady eye in training.