Just weeks after he made his comeback after more than a year out, David Alaba has been sidelined with a fresh injury, Real Madrid have officially confirmed.
“Following tests carried out on our player David Alaba by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the adductor muscle of his left leg. Pending development,” the club statement read.
Alaba’s injury comes days after Real Madrid lost Antonio Rudiger to an injury this past weekend during the game against Espanyol.
Alaba, 32, spent over a year out on the sidelines after an ACL injury and had made his comeback only in January, making four appearances in all competitions.
It was expected that the veteran defender would start in the upcoming Copa del Rey clash against Leganes, but that is no longer possible.
As per a report from journalist Jose Luis Sanchez, the centre-back will be out for a period of two to three weeks, which comes as a severe blow for Los Blancos.
It effectively rules Alaba out of action for the UCL knockout playoffs against Manchester City and the La Liga derby against Atletico Madrid.
The Austrian getting ruled out leaves Carlo Ancelotti with just Raul Asencio and the out-of-favour Jesus Vallejo as the only centre-back options, along with makeshift defender Aurelien Tchouameni.
The injury situation could lead to Ancelotti relying more on academy talents like Jacobo Ramon and Diego Aguado in the coming games, while using Ferland Mendy as a makeshift centre-back is also an option.