Real Madrid mainstay has chances to return for Club World Cup following surgery | OneFootball

Earlier today, Real Madrid confirmed that key defender Antonio Rudiger had undergone surgery to address his knee issue that had been bothering him for most of the season.

It was suggested that the German international would be out for close to two months – ruling him out of action for the remainder of the La Liga season.

At the same time, his involvement in the summer’s FIFA Club World Cup in the USA was also cast in doubt, given that it is set to kick-off in June.

Rudiger can still play in the Club World Cup

However, according to journalist Guillermo Rai, sources within Real Madrid believe that Rudiger has some chances to feature in the FIFA Club World Cup despite his surgery.

As per the aforementioned report, the 32-year-old is expected to be sidelined for a period of six weeks, which puts him in the timeframe for a potential return for the tournament in the US.

Rudiger is out for six weeks. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Real Madrid will begin their Club World Cup journey on June 18 against Al Hilal, giving them some hope that the defender could return in time.

Rudiger, for his part, stated in a post on social media after surgery that he aimed to make it back for Germany’s UEFA Nations League semi-finals against Portugal on June 4.

“I want to be able to play again as soon as possible as two big tournaments with the Nations League and the Club World Cup are in front of me, but I have to look from week to week now and we will see,” Rudiger wrote.

“I will do everything I can to make it happen. See you soon and take care of yourselves.”

It remains to be seen if Rudiger is able to recover in time for either tournament, but Real Madrid are not ruling out the possibility of him being available for the Club World Cup.