Real Madrid’s three injury absentees and their expected returns | OneFootball

Real Madrid arrive at today’s derby at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano against Atletico Madrid with almost the full squad available.

Only three players are missing for Xabi Alonso, although all of them are in the same line, the defence – left-back Ferland Mendy, centre-back Antonio Rudiger, and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Mendy has been unavailable since April last season and has yet to make his debut under Xabi Alonso, while Rudiger and Trent suffered injuries in the early parts of the ongoing campaign.

The Mendy case

The most unusual situation of the three is that of Mendy. The Frenchman has not played for almost five months, with his last appearance being a brief cameo in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona, where he lasted only 11 minutes on the pitch.

Mendy had forced himself to make that match, but it was in vain. Medical tests revealed a rupture of the proximal tendon of the rectus femoris in his right quadriceps, for which he underwent surgery on 30 April.

The initial recovery period was estimated at two to two and a half months. That timeframe has long been surpassed, as Mendy has now been out for nearly five months.

What is most concerning is that there is still no clear recovery in sight: he continues working separately on an adjoining pitch and has not yet joined the group sessions, not even partially. As such, there is no specific timeline for his comeback.

Rudiger in December

Trent and Rudiger are out for a while. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The case of Antonio Rudiger is more straightforward. The German suffered a rupture in the rectus femoris of his left leg during training on 12 September. It was a muscle injury, though by no means a minor one.

The club estimates a recovery period of around three months, meaning that, at best, he could return to action in December if everything goes according to plan.

But, considering his recent injury woes, it will not be surprising to see Real Madrid take it easy and err on the side of caution with the veteran defender.

Setback for Trent

Lastly, Trent Alexander-Arnold had been alternating the starting role with Carvajal at the beginning of the season. However, a severe muscle problem abruptly ended that rotation.

The right-back suffered a muscle tear in the biceps femoris of his left leg during the opening minutes of the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Marseille earlier this month, forcing him to be substituted.

According to the club’s expectations, he will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. As a result, the Englishman is not expected to return until at least November.