Real Madrid hatch Arda Guler plan after fresh injury concern
- Guler suffered a knee injury shortly after signing from Fenerbahce
- A fresh thigh problem has further delayed his debut
- Turkish teenager has now suffered fitness issues in his career
By Tom Gott
Real Madrid are working on a plan to try and help Arda Guler overcome his injury problems after seeing his debut further delayed.
Guler arrived from Fenerbahce this summer to real excitement from fans but the Turkish teenager has been injured ever since, first picking up a knee problem which required surgery, before a fresh thigh issue extended his time on the sidelines.
Having already battled a handful of fitness problems during his young career, Madrid are exploring a long-term solution and AS state a plan is being drawn up to help Guler overcome his issues.
Madrid's medical staff are expected to take a similar approach to that used with Rodrygo when he arrived from Brazil at 18 years old and focus on adding muscle to Guler's slender frame.
Guler's physique is described as "that of a child" and it is suggested that he is not yet strong enough to cope with high-level senior football, and so the plan for the teenager is to send him to the weights room.
Rodrygo suffered several hamstring injuries during the early years of his Madrid career but has avoided any major fitness issues since November 2021, allowing him to emerge as a key player for the Spanish giants.
Hopes are incredibly high for Guler, who caught the eye in pre-season training before going down with his initial knee injury.
"It must be said that he has great talent for his age," teammate Toni Kroos said recently. "He has a very, very fine left foot. And he will bring it out many times. He has a great shot with his left foot, he is very good technically, especially in small spaces.
"I think it's a pretty good, intelligent signing, especially for the future."
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