Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao tore his Acute Cruciate Ligament (ACL) during last night’s clash with Athletic Bilbao and will undergo surgery in the coming days, the club confirmed on Sunday.
Militao, 25, twisted his left knee in the 47th minute as he charged towards Bilbao’s player to win the ball, but due to the wet surface, he slipped and ended up twisting his left knee.
“Following tests carried out on our player Eder Militao, he has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the coming days,” the club said in an official statement.
Militao is likely to be out for the rest of the season and Madrid might be forced to buy a new centre-back to cover up for the Brazilian’s absence.
As it stands, Carlo Ancelotti will be using the centre-back pairing of Antonio Rudiger — who also tore his ACL in 2016 — and David Alaba with only one defender as a backup in Nacho Fernandez.
This has not been a great week for Madrid fans, as Thibaut Courtois left training in tears on Thursday after suffering an ACL injury.
Courtois' left knee turned when he went to pick up a ball in the final training game.
The Belgian will undergo surgery during the next few days.
“After the tests carried out on our player Thibaut Courtois, he’s been diagnosed with a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the coming days,” Real Madrid said in a brief statement.
According to The Athletic's Mario Cortegana, Courtois is likely to miss the entire season. He added that the best-case scenario for the goalkeeper is returning to the pitch in April.
Apart from Militao and Courtois, Madrid’s new signing Arda Guler is also yet to play for the Whites.
The Turk got injured during a training session during Madrid’s pre-season tour and did not play a single game in the United States.
The club reported his meniscus injury on July 29.
The footballer suffered a partial tear of the internal meniscus in his right knee, an injury for which almost all specialists recommend surgery.