Bad news for Real Madrid: they're losing a key player for a long time

Real Madrid are having a great season 2023/24. In Champions League they are leading Group C with five wins in five games and already secured not only their qualification to the round of 16, but also the first place in the group. And in La Liga things have also gone perfectly for them: they share the top of the standings with Girona and have a 4-point lead over Barcelona.

However, not everything has gone well for them, as there is something that they cannot control and that has seriously harmed them in recent months: injuries. It all started in the summer, when Arda Guler suffered a meniscus tear during the preseason in the United States. And that continued with serious knee injuries to Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois, who had to undergo surgery and still have a long recovery period ahead of them.

But that is not all. In recent weeks, coach Carlo Ancelotti had to find solutions to replace Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Vinicius Junior, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Luka Modric, all of them with physical problems. Some, like the Spanish goalkeeper and the Belgian midfielder, have had minor problems, but others are more serious cases.

And now Daniel Carvajal has joined the list. The right-back was replaced during half-time in the match vs Granada last Saturday and this Monday he underwent medical tests. The results were worse than expected: he suffered an injury in the soleus muscle of his left leg.

When will he return?

According to Marca, Carvajal will be off the field for at least three or four weeks. This means he will miss the games against Real Betis, Villarreal, Alavés and Mallorca in La Liga, Union Berlin in the Champions League and the debut in Copa del Rey. Real Madrid's goal is for him to be fit to play in the Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh on January 10.