Real Madrid already have plenty of injury problems. Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois are expected to be out for the majority of the season if not all of it. Vinicius Jr is also believed to be out on the sidelines for a few more weeks at the very least. We have not yet seen Arda Guler in action, following his summer arrival, as he was injured in pre-season.
Now, it looks like another Real Madrid player is playing through the pain barrier. It appears that he fractured his hand in training.
That player is none other than Federico Valverde. The Uruguayan has been playing with a bandage around his right hand lately and it is due to a fracture he suffered in training.
As reported by Mundo Deportivo (via Madrid Universal), Valverde said:
"“I suffered a fracture in training, in a duel. I went to grab another teammate and my hand got caught. It hurts, but I can play and that’s the important thing.”"
Real Madrid player confirms he is playing with a fracture
Valverde has been a regular starter for Real Madrid once again this season. That was to be expected with Carlo Ancelotti using a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond in midfielder. That has opened up another spot in the middle of the park.
Ancelotti clearly has a lot of faith in Valverde. So much so that he consistently played him on the right flank, not the Uruguayan’s natural position, when getting into the midfield was even tougher.
It is great to see Valverde’s passion for playing through the pain barrier. At the same time though, it cannot be a pleasant experience or good for his game. So, one can only hope that he recovers from the issue as soon as possible.
The Uruguayan is not letting the fracture stop him from being an effective player for Real Madrid though. He recently scored a vital equaliser for the club against Real Sociedad, in a game where they had looked second-best until that point. Ancelotti’s went on to win 2-1.