Teenage sensation Arda Guler finally returned to training on Thursday, meaning that his long-awaited Real Madrid debut could come very soon. Once the current international break ends, the next game will be against Sevilla at the Sánchez-Pizjuán on Saturday 21 October (6:30pm CET). That might be too soon for the Turkish attacking midfielder, but the next clash after that is the first Clasico of the season.
What an entrance that would be for the 18-year-old who was acquired this summer from Fenerbahce.
Elegance ? pic.twitter.com/sydqfHYZBz
— Arda Guler Xtra ?? (@ArdaGulerXTra) October 12, 2023
It has been a long and winding road for this wonder kid. First he suffered a meniscus injury during Real Madrid’s preseason tour of the United States. He underwent a surgical procedure on his knee, and the recovery from this issue put him on track to make his debut with Los Blancos against Las Palmas, the La Liga club located in the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa.
That target date of September 27 was not met, as the Arda Guler fitness woes continued.
Arda is back ! ? pic.twitter.com/ELrIoJMuse
— Arda Guler Xtra ?? (@ArdaGulerXTra) October 10, 2023
According to a club statement, the young forward suffered an injury to his “left rectus femoris muscle.” That set him back some, but all signs point towards go now for the Turkish phenom. Real Madrid are currently top of the table, just ahead of FC Barcelona. Arda Guler will be looking to help them stay there.
There was another major news item to emerge from today’s Madrid training session.
Full back/centre back David Alaba, who didn’t join up with Austria, and instead stayed back with the club to work on his adductor injury (suffered in the aforementioned Las Palmas clash) trained individually today.
He is expected to be fit enough to face Sevilla next weekend.
Given all the fitness issues that Madrid’s arch-rivals, FC Barcelona, are facing right now- Madrid will likely have the advantage when it comes to squad fitness for El Clasico.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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