David Alaba has successfully undergone surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on Sunday, Real Madrid have confirmed.
Alaba suffered the injury in his left knee during the first half of Madrid’s 4-1 win over Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu, which saw Jude Bellingham joined on the scoresheet by Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz and Luka Modric.
A statement issued by Los Blancos on Tuesday confirmed Alaba had gone under the knife and was set to begin a lengthy recovery process, with reports suggesting he could be sidelined for eight months.
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That would see Alaba miss the remainder of the club season as well as Austria’s Euro 2024 campaign, which begins against favourites France on June 17.
Alaba is the third Madrid player to suffer an ACL injury in recent months, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and fellow defender Eder Militao both sustaining similar problems in August.
After the win over Villarreal, boss Carlo Ancelotti said he had “never seen three cruciate ligament injuries in four months”, and it is now thought Madrid will move for a defender in the January transfer window.
Alaba medical report.#RealMadrid
— Real Madrid C.F. ???????????????? (@realmadriden) December 17, 2023
Ferland Mendy was also withdrawn with a muscle injury on Sunday, while Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Vinicius Junior are also sidelined. Right-back Dani Carvajal, however, may return against Alaves in LaLiga on Thursday after missing a month with a calf issue.
While Militao could recover from his ACL injury before the end of the campaign, Alaba’s absence will leave Madrid short at the back, with Ancelotti suggesting midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni could feature as a makeshift centre-back in the short term.
Thursday’s clash with Alaves will be Madrid’s final game of 2023. They face Mallorca in LaLiga and Arandina in the Copa del Rey in early January before travelling to Saudi Arabia for the Supercopa de Espana, facing rivals Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals.
