Real Madrid Confirms First Team Star's Injury As Lengthy Absence ...

Real Madrid confirmed an injury to its first team star Ferland Mendy through an official statement ... [+] released on Sunday via its website and social media.

Real Madrid confirmed an injury to its first team star Ferland Mendy through an official statement released via its website and social media on Sunday afternoon in Europe.

"After the tests carried out today on our player Ferland Mendy by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the right quadriceps," the correspondence read.

While the message ended with the usual "pending evolution" phrase without specifying a recovery timeframe, AS expects Mendy to be out for up to three weeks, which means that he might not see him at left back for the rest of 2024.

Mendy suffered his knock after stepping awkwardly in the penalty area during a 3-0 win over Girona on Saturday, which moved Los Blancos within two points of title race rival FC Barcelona at the La Liga summit.

During his post-match press conference, head coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that the Frenchman's injury was the most serious among him and Jude Bellingham, who was also hooked in the second half at Montilivi.

The Italian stated that Mendy "will not be in Bergamo" with reference to Madrid's important Champions League clash against Atalanta on Tuesday.

Furthermore, Mendy is also expected to miss La Liga meetings with Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla on December 14 and 22 respectively, in addition to the Intercontinental Cup final on the 19th which could pit the Spanish soccer giant against recent Copa Libertadores winner Botafogo if it advances to the decider.

In Mendy's absence, Fran Garcia is likely to earn further starting prominence and get a chance to nail down the left back spot heading into 2025 at the same time that Madrid looks likely to miss out on Alphonso Davies.

As for Bellingham, who has netted in his last five outings and appears to be back to his best, Ancelotti said that the Englishman was brought off because "he was a little tired" and preferred "not to take risks in the last minutes".

Anonymous club sources confirmed to AS that the number 5 is in "good condition" and is not in danger of missing the trip to Italy to take on the Serie A's current leaders.