On Sunday, Real Madrid’s worst fears were confirmed, as Eder Militao was revealed to have ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Athletic Club.
It is the second serious knee injury suffered by a Real Madrid this week, after Thibaut Courtois did similar during training on Wednesday. As such, Carlo Ancelotti will be without two of his most important players for the entire 2023-24 season.
While Real Madrid are signing a replacement for Courtois, which will be Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, they are not expected to do the same with Militao, as reported by Diario AS. It means that David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger and captain Nacho Fernandez will be Ancelotti’s only senior central defenders.
It may be that someone is drafted into the first team setup from Raul Gonzalez’s Castilla squad. However, it is risky business from Real Madrid not to sign a replacement for Militao, especially considering Alaba is off the back of his own injury issues from last season.