David Alaba: Injury progress & potential return date for Real Madrid defender
- David Alaba was withdrawn against Villarreal in December La Liga fixture
- The defender is set to miss the rest of the 2023/24 season
- He was the third Madrid player to sustain ACL injury this season
Real Madrid were dealt yet another injury blow during their La Liga clash with Villarreal in December as David Alaba became the latest casualty for the Spanish giants.
The 14-time European champions may have come away with a 4-1 win a week before Christmas, but their centre-back depth chart has been left battered and bruised.
Alaba joins a long-term injury list that also contains the likes of Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao.
Here's the latest regarding Alaba's injury and recovery.
What injury does David Alaba have?
Having been substituted just 35 minutes into the Villarreal victory, Real Madrid confirmed that Alaba had suffered a rupture in his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and would undergo surgery.
"After the tests carried out on our player David Alaba, he has been diagnosed with a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee," the club confirmed.
"The player will undergo surgery in the coming days."
When will David Alaba return from injury?
Bizarrely, Alaba became the third Real Madrid player to succumb to a long-term ACL injury after Courtois and Militao.
While Alaba's teammates are poised to make their respective comebacks before the end of the current campaign, the Austrian's season is over. Given that is usually takes between seven and eight months to recover from an ACL tear, it's also likely that Alaba will miss Euro 2024 this summer.
The tournament gets underway on 14 June. So, Alaba will be targeting a return at some point before Madrid's 2024/25 season stars in August.
What Real Madrid games has David Alaba missed due to injury?
By the time Alaba is projected to return at the start of the 2024/25 season, the Austrian star would've missed 27 Real Madrid fixtures as well as Euro 2024.
Thus, Alaba will miss the run-in this season with Madrid chasing yet another La Liga crown. Carlo Ancelotti's side exited the Copa del Rey, dashing any hope of a quadruple, but they're poised for another deep Champions League run in Alaba's absence.
How have Real Madrid done without David Alaba and who has replaced him?
With Alaba joining Militao on the sidelines, Ancelotti has been left with Antonio Rudiger and captain Nacho Fernandez as his only two senior centre-back options.
However, there have been times when Rudiger and Nacho have both been unavailable since Alaba succumbed, forcing the Italian to deploy Aurelien Tchouameni in a centre-back position. Dani Carvajal partnered Tchouameni for Madrid's pivotal 4-0 victory over Girona in February.
Despite their defensive absences, Madrid have continued to win. They've won the Supercopa de Espana and lost just one fixture (4-2 to Atletico in the Copa del Rey) since Alaba tore his ACL.
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