Real Madrid: How long will James Rodriguez be out with knee injury?
Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez suffered a knee injury during training with Colombia over the November international break, so when will he be able to return to Zinedine Zidane’s side?
It has been and up-and-down return season to Real Madrid for James Rodriguez. He’s looked good when on the pitch, scoring his first goal of the season against Granada and providing a few standout performances before that against Levante and Sevilla.
However, James has been dealt setbacks by injuries, and his latest ailment will keep him out for a few weeks.
James suffered a knee injury while training with Colombia during the November international break. Initial reports made it seem like his injury could be serious, but MARCA reports that the attacking midfielder will only miss a “few weeks”.
According to MARCA, James won’t play against Real Sociedad and PSG in Real Madrid’s first games after the international break. He also won’t be able to play against Alaves to end November and could be out against Espanyol on Dec. 7.
This timetable means that James could miss a total of three La Liga games, in addition to that all-important fixture against PSG at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, it sounds like the Colombian’s knee injury isn’t severe enough to take him out of the games leading up to El Clasico on Dec. 18, so if he is needed off the bench against FC Barcelona, he should be healthy enough to suit up.
But the missed time hurts James more than it hurts Real Madrid. Fede Valverde, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos have been standouts in midfield this season, and talented veterans Luka Modric and Isco have recently started to show signs of their best form after dealing with injuries of their own. These displays put James behind the curve in the pecking order, especially if he can’t get back into Zinedine Zidane’s good graces.
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James Rodriguez is still one of the world’s better attacking midfielders and is arguably Real’s best player at creating clear-cut chances, but it will be hard for him to break into the starting lineup after he returns. But on the bright side, James will likely miss only a few weeks with this knee injury, meaning he’ll be ready to help the team and prove himself again. He’s avoided the worst, since knee injuries can be scary for everyone involved.