Real Madrid may have comfortably defeated Villarreal at the weekend, but that came at the cost of David Alaba.



Real Madrid’s 4-1 win against Villarreal on December 17 was marred by the latest injury setback for the club. This time, it was David Alaba. The Austrian became Los Blancos’ third player to suffer an ACL tear in the previous four months.



A midfield tackle caused Alaba to go down in the 35th minute of the encounter. Injuries to the 31-year-old were immediately deemed significant since he needed assistance leaving the field.



Within minutes, it became clear that Alaba had hurt his knee; at his post-match news conference, Ancelotti was aware of the injury. After the game, the Italian said: “We’re very sad to lose another player. I’ve never seen three cruciate ligament injuries in four months. It’s incredible. But there’s nothing we can do.”



<h2>What did Carlo Ancelotti say?</h2>



This Real Madrid defender just got back from surgery after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). “Been diagnosed with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee,” <a href="https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/news/football/first-team/medical-reports/new-alaba-medical-report-19-12-2023">the club said earlier</a>, confirming Alaba’s injury.



The duration of his absence is expected to be approximately eight months, which raises doubts about his participation for Austria in the next European Championships, which are scheduled to start in seven months.



After Alaba’s operation, Real Madrid issued a <a href="https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/news/football/first-team/medical-reports/new-alaba-medical-report-19-12-2023" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">second statement on Tuesday</a> verifying the player’s condition. “Our player David Alaba underwent successful surgery today for a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee under the supervision of the Real Madrid medical services,” the statement stated.



With the 31-year-old out for the season, Madrid are down to two healthy central defenders. There is a lot of uncertainty for Carlo Ancelotti as a result of midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni playing in central defense this season.



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Because of this, Real Madrid may have no choice but to go into the transfer market. Spanish newspaper <a href="https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2023/12/18/6580ab28e2704e50998b45f6.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marca</a> had reported that, despite Alaba’s injury, the Whites would not be signing a defender.



Per its previous decision, the club will not participate in the transfer market. Their young academy will be their first port of call instead. In contrast, tough, be that as it may, manager Ancelotti has said that January is a possible window for the team to acquire a central defender.



“We cannot say no, we (the coaching staff) have spoken with the club and we will evaluate the decision in the next few days”, he said, via <a href="https://theathletic.com/5151433/2023/12/20/real-madrid-transfer-news-alaba/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Athletic</a>.



“The [January transfer window] market ends on January 31 and we will look for the best possible solution. But for the moment we are not in a hurry. We have all the time we need to look for the best possible solution.”



<h2>Club’s extensive injury woes only worsen</h2>



When it comes to soccer injury lists, Real Madrid currently have one of the longest ones. They have lost three players to ACL tears this season: David Alaba, Thibaut Courtois, and Eder Militao. While these players have dealt with long-term injuries, others have dealt with more minor ones during the season.



Arda Guler has not even made his club debut yet due to his string of injuries that began when he arrived in the summer. Although he may be known as the “Turkish Messi,” he is far from the only Real Madrid player to have persistent health problems.



For quite some time, Ferland Mendy has had difficulty maintaining any kind of regular level of physical fitness. Though he had been making waves as of late, he has recently suffered yet another injury. This is thankfully not an emergency.



The last match against Villarreal required the substitution of Mendy after halftime. <a href="https://twitter.com/GuillermoRai_/status/1737077529624645783" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guillermo Rai of The Atheltic</a> reported that the Frenchman had a minor injury, according to the MRI. A week or so will pass before he returns.



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Will Real Madrid replace Alaba? Ancelotti reveals January plans