Real Madrid will be without Fede Valverde after the midfielder suffered a broken leg against Valencia.
Los Blancos lost the game 4-1, with Valencia scoring three penalties. The result pushed Madrid to fourth on the log.
The Galacticos could now be without one of their key players for a lengthy period. This is following his 76 minutes participation in the La Liga clash against Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday before being replaced by Toni Kroos.
Karim Benzema scored the first goal of the game in the 23rd minute but the visitors fell apart thereafter, with a Raphael Varane own goal compounding a miserable evening for Zinedine Zidane’s men.
Madrid in a statement revealed that Valverde sustained a serious injury during the weekend fixture which could see him sidelined for a significant period, but did not offer a specific timeframe for his recovery.
“Following tests carried out on our player, Federico Valverde, by Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a fracture in the posterior tibial bone in his right leg.
“His recovery will continue to be assessed,” a statement on their official website reads.
Who will slot in for Valverde in Real Madrid?
With the return of Isco and Marco Asensio to action, Zinedine Zidane is not expected to be having a problem in replacing Urugyuan who will sit out his country’s next round of World Cup qualifiers.
After mauling Colombia 3-0 on their turf on Friday, Uruguay will then face Brazil four days later.
Valverde has been a key player in Madrid since making his debut. His rising form looked to have cost Isco his place in the line-up. The creative midfielder, who opened the goals in the last El Classico played a key role in Zidane’s set-up at the start of the season, scoring three goals in 11 matches across all competitions.
He has now firmly established himself as one of the most reliable members of the squad, having impressed in a holding role alongside Luka Modric. It means Madrid will have to make do without a key performer when they return to action after the international break.
Other fitness concern for Zidane is also of Benzema, who limped off late on against Valencia with an apparent hamstring strain. It is hoped that Eden Hazard and Casemiro, who missed the trip completely after testing positive for Covid-19 would have recovered.
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After the international break, Madrid will be looking forward to returning to the summit of the La Liga table with the hope that his players can recover quickly over the next fortnight.
Madrid travels to Villarreal on November 21, with a crucial Champions League clash against Inter at San Siro set to follow that encounter.
