Real Madrid News
Real Madrid hire veteran star’s nutritionist to mitigate injury crisis
Real Madrid have been plagued by a series of injuries this season, with key players like Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Vinicius Jr. all sidelined at various points.
In a bid to address this issue, the club has taken a unique approach by signing a star nutritionist, Itziar Gonzalez, reports AS.
Gonzalez’s role in Carvajal’s injury
Gonzalez, who has previously worked with Carvajal and successfully helped him overcome a string of injuries, is renowned for her personalized approach to nutrition and her expertise in optimizing the physical condition of athletes.
Her work involves a approach that combines physiotherapy, nutrition, and nutrigenomics to identify and address specific nutritional needs and genetic predispositions.
She is indeed a star in her field and will play a crucial role in mitigating the ongoing injury crisis at Real Madrid, especially when it comes to fixing the growing trend of muscle injuries.
How Gonzalez plans to operate
As per the report, Gonzalez aims to improve muscle recovery by tailoring dietary plans to each player’s individual requirements.
By doing so, she aims to reduce the risk of injury, and enhance overall performance of the team.
Real Madrid, for their part, have complete faith in Itziar and her work. Her signing is also serves as an indicator that the club are determined to find the root problem of so many injuries this season.
Whether or not this bold move pays off, remains to be seen.
Real Madrid opted to renew Antonio Rudiger’s contract this past summer to keep him at the club for one more season.
The 33-year-old veteran defender, though, has not been performing at his best, with physical problems taking their toll and age starting to catch up with him.
As such, the expectation is that Los Blancos will not extend his contract again when his current one expires on 30 June 2027.
Tottenham eye Antonio Rudiger
And, according to reports relayed by AS, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a free-transfer swoop to sign Rudiger in the summer of next year.
The north London club are understood to be keen on reinforcing their backline next year and see the German defender as an option, given his experience in the Premier League and the fact that he would be available for free in the summer.
So far this season, Rudiger has played only five games for Real Madrid, amounting to a total of 396 minutes.
The 33-year-old has even chipped in with two goals, including the all-important winner in the 4-3 comeback victory over AS Roma on Wednesday night.
Time to move on?
Despite Rudiger being a hugely respected figure in the Real Madrid locker room, he is currently the third-choice centre-back for Jose Mourinho.
After all, summer signing Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen have been preferred by the manager so far in the new season.
Moreover, with Eder Militao set to return imminently after a lengthy injury layoff, Rudiger’s game-time could be impacted further.
Given the situation and factoring in Real Madrid’s plans to sign another centre-back next summer, it is pretty much evident that Rudiger does not feature in the club’s plans for beyond this season.
As such, a separation of ways seems pretty likely when his contract expires, and Tottenham are now positioning themselves as early suitors to sign Rudiger as a free agent in 2027.
