Real Madrid has been without defender Nacho Fernandez for nearly six weeks and it looks like the rotation center back could return to match action before the end of this month. Here is a full update.
On Wednesday afternoon at the Ciudad de Real Madrid training ground, manager Zinedine Zidane closely watched as Nacho did some dribbling drills, passing, and worked on his mobility almost a month and a half after he suffered a knee ligament injury.
The 29-year-old Spanish player was substituted off at halftime in the 2-2 draw with Club Brugge which also saw Thibaut Courtois taken off at the break.
Many assumed that like Marco Asensio, Nacho would miss most of the season trying to rehab his knee, but luckily, it was only a sprain to the medial collateral ligament and the number six for Real Madrid could very well return before a congested schedule in December.
While it will be nice to have Nacho back in the squad as an option off the bench or as a rotation defender, as I noted yesterday, Eder Militao has really been struggling to get minutes and has featured in one match since Nacho was injured.
So, the question needs to be asked: will Nacho be called upon by Zidane? Or will the gaffer continue to play Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane every chance he gets?
Interestingly enough, even with this long layoff from match play, Nacho has played 226 minutes this season and Militao has played 301. Zidane has worked closely with Fernandez for years now and considers the Spaniard an all-purpose, reliable defender who he can call upon to play anywhere he needs him.
The same cannot be said just yet for Eder Militao. Nacho is quickly approaching 30 and could see his involvement pulled back slightly over the coming months depending on how he plays and how Zidane wants to use his four center backs.
Real Madrid received even more good news today in training as both Marcelo and Luka Jovic both completed the session after missing the 4-0 win over Eibar this past Saturday.
Marcelo was taken off before halftime in the huge win over Galatasary with a slight knock while Jovic didn’t make the trip over the weekend due to a muscle injury that doesn’t seem to be serious either.