Real Madrid fearing serious injury as Champions League last 16 looms

Real Madrid fear the injury which sidelined Federico Valverde for the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Real Sociedad could be more serious than first believed, a report in Spain has claimed.

It was known in the build-up to the game, a 1-0 Madrid victory, that Valverde would be left out of the squad, with manager Carlo Ancelotti earmarking the midfielder for a rest after an intense run of minutes in the starting lineup.

According to Relevo, this omission may not have been a simple rest for Valverde and there are concerns that he may need an extended period on the sidelines to recover.

Valverde is believed to have been playing through pain for several weeks after a series of injuries to other players in the squad left Ancelotti short on numbers. In recent outings, he was deployed as an emergency right-back after Lucas Vazquez went down, while Aurelien Tchouameni's time as a centre-back has left Valverde filling in in midfield.

There are fears that he may have pushed himself too far and Madrid are now doing everything they can to help Valverde recover as soon as possible.

His involvement in this weekend's game against Real Betis is highly unlikely but, perhaps of more concern, Madrid are worried Valverde will not be fit to face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 on March 4.

Ancelotti has already lost one midfielder. The resurgent Dani Ceballos is set for two months on the sidelines with a thigh injury and Madrid are doing whatever they can to ensure Valverde does not join him.

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