Real Madrid News
Real Madrid teenage prodigy undergoes knee surgery – report
We are just one game into Real Madrid’s 2023-24 campaign and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti already has massive problems to deal with.
Injuries have plagued Los Blancos’ camp. Dani Ceballos and Ferland Mendy have been injured for a couple of weeks now, but three more stars have quickly joined them on the sidelines.
Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao suffered horrific anterior cruciate ligament tears in quick succession last week and are scheduled to go under the blade.
The club’s new signing, Arda Guler, was also scheduled to undergo surgery for his meniscus tear. According to reports from Mario Cortegana, the procedure on the Turkish international is completed successfully.
A last-minute decision
Guler suffered his injury early into Real Madrid’s pre-season camp in the United States of America.
He was initially maintained on the sidelines, but tests later revealed a bigger lesion and the club had him flown back to Spain.
Real Madrid hoped to treat his knee through conservative therapy and opted for the non-invasive route.
Perhaps owing to slower progression than initially anticipated, they altered their path and opted to go down the surgical route instead last week.
The pros and cons of the surgery
The attacking midfielder is just 18 years old and has his whole career ahead of him. Keeping the bigger picture in mind, it is only right that Real Madrid prioritise his long-term fitness.
Opting for surgery provides Guler’s body with more comprehensive and complete healing of the torn meniscus.
However, it also has its downsides in that the player will face a long time (at least six weeks) on the sidelines.
The youngster was operated on by Dr. Manuel Leyes, Madrid’s renowned surgeon who has operated on Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, and Marco Asensio in the past.
The 18-year-old could be out of action until mid-October at least or beyond that.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
