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Real Madrid’s Alaba to miss rest of season with ligament injury

Madrid, Dec 18 (EFE).- Real Madrid’s Austrian defender David Alaba will miss the rest of the season after medical tests confirmed that he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee during the club’s La Liga match against Villarreal on Sunday.

“Following tests carried out on our player David Alaba, he has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He will undergo surgery in the coming days,” the Madrid club said in a statement.

Alaba was injured in the 33rd minute of the match against Villarreal in La Liga when he made a bad knee turn as he attempted to overtake striker Gerard Moreno.

His frightened face gave the first reflection of the seriousness of the injury, which was confirmed in the first diagnosis at the locker room after he was helped off the field.

Alaba is the fourth Real Madrid player to suffer a knee injury this season after Turkish Arda Guler, Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, and Brazilian center back Eder Militao.

While Guler’s meniscus injury was resolved with arthroscopy, Courtois and Militao had been out for the last four months.

Alaba’s serious injury leaves Real now with only two center backs available in German Antonio Rudiger and Spanish Nacho Fernandez, with half the season still to go.

“We’re really sad about it because he’s another player we’ll lose. I’ve never had three of my players get cruciate injuries inside three months,” lamented coach Carlo Ancelotti after the match.

Calling it an emergency, Ancelotti pinned his hopes now on holding midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who returned to the field against Villarreal after recovering from a toe injury, to provide a cover to the injured center back.

“Tchouameni is the first option at center-back…Of course it isn’t his natural position but this is an emergency and I think he can fill in,” said Ancelotti.

Real will visit Alaves on Thursday for their last match in 2023. EFE

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