After this season, Real Madrid fans think that things can't get worse. However, Fabrizio Romano's recent Jude Bellingham injury news puts that up for debate.
Unfortunately for Madridistas, there was one overarching theme which completely ruined this season: injuries. Several key players were missing from selection at different stages of the season, which made it difficult for Carlo Ancelotti to form an identity with his new crop of players.
While Real Madrid is not the kind of club that can make this kind of excuse, they can even be excused for their poor injury luck. Throw that misfortune at any other club and see how they react.
Speaking of, Real Madrid's reaction to this season is key. It's a season to forget but next season, there are some significant changes, including Xabi Alonso at the helm. The former Real Madrid midfielder could be without Real Madrid's most important current midfielder, though.
Fabrizio Romano has made Real Madrid fans dread next season already
According to an early morning update from Fabrizio Romano, Jude Bellingham will undergo surgery after this summer's FIFA Club World Cup. This means that he will be missing for the first three months of next season, a sizeable chunk of Xabi Alonso's first campaign.
The surgery will address his shoulder, after the England international has played through pain for months. The surgery is scheduled for July, after the Club World Cup.
From this, the obvious question is: why wait? Why won't Real Madrid facilitate the surgery before the Club World Cup, making his recovery date sooner and avoiding any risk to potential further harm at the Club World Cup?
At least, that's the viewpoint of a general fan. It makes little sense for Jude Bellingham to play in the Club World Cup when La Liga is a much greater priority. However, maybe the club and the player see it differently, which is frankly frightening.
We wish Jude Bellingham a speedy recovery. Now, it'll be interesting to see how this alters Real Madrid's transfer strategy for this summer, or perhaps it could push Bellingham's international teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold into his second position, midfield. We'll see in due course.
Otherwise, Arda Guler may be licking his lips. One thing that Xabi Alonso can bank on is that he's inheriting a fluid attack, so he can shift his setup however he wants, or needs to.