Real Madrid News
Real Madrid in-form midfielder leaves training with stomach bug ahead of Atletico clash
Jude Bellingham’s adaptation to life at Real Madrid has been stunning. The England international, in a matter of six games, is the team’s most important player and an undisputed starter under Carlo Ancelotti.
Without the new signing, Real Madrid would be eight points behind where they currently sit across La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
Most recently, he netted a last-minute winner in the team’s 1-0 win over Union Berlin.
Alarm bells in Madrid
According to the latest report from SPORT, Bellingham had to retire before today’s training session at the Valdebebas owing to stomach problems.
As it stands, it does not appear to be anything serious. Yet, it cannot be good news for Carlo Ancelotti’s side’s immediate future, considering that they play Atletico Madrid this weekend.
Real Madrid hope that the player recovers by tomorrow and returns to training with the group. If the problem persists, however, he could be forced to sit out the clash.
Critical in front of goal
Bellingham has made Real Madrid’s attacking midfield department his own but has served as more than a midfielder in his short tenure at the club so far.
In his six games across all competitions, the young phenom has scored six goals and provided one assist.
His instinct in front of goal and knack for getting into the right position have been invaluable for Ancelotti’s setup, who are currently reeling from Vinicius Jr’s injury.
The Brazilian was initially expected to be back in time to face Atletico Madrid. The proposition is not yet ruled out, and a final decision will be taken tomorrow after evaluating his sensations.
If Los Blancos were to enter the derby without both Vinicius and Bellingham, it would be a big problem on Ancelotti’s hands.
Real Madrid’s main goal heading into the summer transfer window was to wrap up the signing of Jude Bellingham amid massive interest from Premier League giants such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola’s City, especially, were ready to match and increase any salary Madrid offered, and were going strongly into the bidding war.
Eventually, Bellingham decided to join Madrid after they reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for €3 million.
However, following this, los blancos had to improvise a fair bit as Karim Benzema decided to leave the club to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer. They were expecting him to continue for another season, at least, and it stumped their plans in the market.
In the next few weeks, Madrid chased forwards, and ended up signing Joselu, Brahim Diaz, and a certain Arda Guler, who was close to Barcelona before eventually ending up at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Unfortunately for Madrid, he is yet to play a single minute for the club after picking up a serious injury in pre-season. Despite being on the bench for a couple of games, Guler suffered a relapse in training, and was sidelined again.
Now, reports from Yagiz Sabuncuoglu say that the Turkish international is close to returning to team training.
Guler has slowly, but surely, been recovering from his injury, and could take to the pitch for his first minutes with the club in the next few weeks as Madrid look for solutions after a month full of injuries.
With Vinicius Jr, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao, and Thibaut Courtois all out until early 2024, Madrid have relied on Castilla for reinforcements, but could do with Guler’s services in their forward line.
That said, Carlo Ancelotti and co. are expected to be extremely cautious when it comes to the Turkish international. The slightest spell of poor man-management here could make or break the youngster’s career.
