Real Madrid newcomer Ferland Mendy will be on the bench for at least a month after injuring his leg against Arsenal. Here’s an update.
The penalty shootout win over Arsenal was a costly affair for manager Zinedine Zidane and his first-team. Despite coming from two goals down to defeat the Gunners, Los Blancos have now lost two players to injury.
After news came out yesterday that Marco Asensio had ruptured his ACL, the club announced that French fullback Ferland Mendy could be on the bench for at least a month with a thigh injury. The new signing from Lyon earned the start on Tuesday night in Landover, Maryland but was pulled off at halftime.
Here is the official statement from the club:
"“Following tests carried out on our player Ferland Mendy by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscular injury to the anterior part of his right calf. His recovery will continue to be assessed.”"
Mendy has been a delight to watch roam on the left flank in pieces of two matches. His awareness and pure speed to get up and down the field is incredible and he seems to be more of a ‘defense first’ type of player unlike Marcelo.
This really is a tough blow for the club after already losing Marco. Another player who is desperate to show that he deserves regular playing time is the French player Zidane so desperately wanted to sign.
It looks like the number 23 will not be back in the squad until the end of August, first couple of days of September with this injury. As we have seen in the past, injuries to the lower body tend to take longer to heal and can be unpredictable when trying to figure out how the player should train.
The injury could create a problem after Real Madrid who now only have Marcelo available. Sergio Reguilon and Achraf Hakimi are both on loan for the season and Theo Hernandez was sold to AC Milan a couple of weeks ago.
This stint on the bench is frustrating for Mendy as it will delay his development with his new team and will force to be the backup to start the season instead of competing with Marcelo everyday in training for the spot.
Let’s hope the predictions are wrong and Ferland Mendy will be back in the lineup before the start of the La Liga season on August 17th!