Real Madrid received some dreadful news today after a big win yesterday against APOEL to kick off group play in the Champions League. Midfielder Mateo Kovacic will miss about two months with a thigh injury. Here are the details.
Is the injury plague coming back around at Real Madrid? I thought after hiring a new team doctor and revamping the entire staff, these bizarre serious injury problems would vanish.
I was wrong. In the last two games, Real have lost Karim Benzema to a serious pulled hamstring which will hold him out for about a month and a half, and now will see midfielder Mateo Kovacic miss at least two months after a partial tear of the adductor muscle in his right thigh midway through the first half.
After going through tests this morning at the Sanitas la Moraleja University Hospital, the medical staff was able to determine the severity of the tear.
The injury happened around the 22nd minute and it was clear from the moment he passed the ball to Marcelo that there was a serious problem. Mateo immediately sat down and grabbed at his leg and remained down until the ball was put out of play.
There was no APOEL player near him when he went down as he simply twisted his leg the wrong way when making the pass which caused the tear.
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Mateo had a great start to the 2017/2018 campaign and this injury will definitely put a damper on his great form.
As it stands now, don’t expect to see Kova back in the lineup or on the pitch until mid-November.
Zinedine Zidane will now look to the new signing, Dani Ceballos, to fill in for Kovacic if he needs to go deep into his depth in the midfield.
Isco, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro have been playing well and are (knock on wood) staying healthy for the time being. Marco Asensio is also not seriously hurt after missing yesterday’s match with an infected pimple on his leg and is listed as day-to-day.
Real Madrid confirm Mateo Kovacic is set to miss two months through injury - https://t.co/2pQuVXU5MN pic.twitter.com/xvbtWzTQyG by @goaluk
— Real Madrid English (@madrid_english) September 14, 2017
I am excited to see how Dani will play if called on to start a match, something he has yet to do since arriving at the club.
It seems both of Real’s new signings, Ceballos and Theo Hernandez, will be getting more playing time in the coming games with Kovacic now out injured and Marcelo suspended for the next match.
Hopefully, Mateo can make a miraculous recovery and come back in less than two months, but with a serious muscle injury like this, it is unlikely.
Next: Benzema out with injury – what does that mean for Real Madrid?