The injury crisis at Real Madrid this season just never refuses to relent. Defender David Alaba is now the latest casualty, as he suffered an ACL tear in the 4-1 win over Villarreal earlier today.
Alaba, who left in the 35′ of the match on Sunday, will require surgery to fix the issue, and that means his 2023-24 season is done.
The club statement reads:
“After tests carried out on our player David Alaba, he’s been diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the next few days.”
Manager Carlo Ancelotti said that he’s never seen three different players on the same team suffer ACL injuries within a four month span.
“I haven’t spoken to [Alaba],” Ancelotti said during his post match presser.
“It’s a shame, obviously. We’re very sad to lose another player. I’ve never seen three cruciate ligament injuries in four months. It’s incredible. But there’s nothing we can do.
“What the team has to do is what it’s done with all the injuries we’ve had, which is to hang on.
“We’ve done more than people thought we would. With all our problems, this team is battling, fighting, with extraordinary commitment.”
Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois are the two other Madrid players that are currently sidelined with ACL injuries.
Ancelotti then made it known that his club will be shopping for a new defender in the January transfer window.
“It’s the only way we can replace all the important players who’ve suffered injuries,” Ancelotti added.
“We’ll see in the next few days if we can do something [in January].”
In addition to Alaba, Courtois and Militao, Madrid also has the following players on the shelf for the long term: Vinicius Jr., Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal and Arda Guler. At least they just got Aurelien Tchouameni back from the injury list.
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.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.