Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti may be forced into signing a new defender in January 2024 following the injuries to David Alaba and Ferland Mendy.
Austrian captain, David Alaba, sustained a knee injury in the 35th minute during Real Madrid’s game against Villareal in the Spanish La Liga on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“After tests carried out on our player David Alaba, he’s been diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee,” Madrid confirmed in a statement. “The player will undergo surgery in the next few days.”
“I haven’t spoken to [Alaba],” Ancelotti said in his postmatch news conference. “It’s a shame, obviously. We’re very sad to lose another player. I’ve never seen three cruciate ligament injuries in four months. It’s incredible. But there’s nothing we can do.
“What the team has to do is what it’s done with all the injuries we’ve had, which is to hang on. We’ve done more than people thought we would. With all our problems, this team is battling with extraordinary commitment.
“It’s the only way we can replace all the important players who’ve suffered injuries. We’ll see in the next few days if we can do something [in January].”
France left-back Ferland Mendy did not return for the second half as he experienced muscular discomfort.
The Los Blancos already have a long injury list, with Dani Carvajal, Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao, and Courtois on it.
