Real Madrid rocked by ACL injury in pre-season friendly

Real Madrid winger Cesar Palacios tore his anterior cruciate ligament during their 1-0 defeat to AC Milan in a pre-season friendly earlier this week.

The 19-year-old usually plays for Madrid's Castilla youth side but received a call-up to the senior team for their summer tour of the USA.

Palacios featured as a second-half substitute in Thursday's loss to Milan in Chicago, replacing Luka Modric at the interval. However, he had to be taken off after only six minutes of action following a strong challenge from Rossoneri defender Malick Thiaw.

Though Palacios was able to leave the pitch walking freely and there were initially hopes his problem was not serious, manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted post-match the injury "didn't look good".

AS now report Palacios has in fact sustained an ACL injury which will sideline him for several months. He will leave Madrid's travelling squad and return to Spain in the coming days to further assess the problem and determine a timeframe for his recovery.

Checks will also be made on other parts of Palacios' knee, including his meniscus and the surrounding cartilage, to ensure the injury is not worse and more complicated than first feared. If those results come back positive, there is a possibility the teenager could avoid undergoing surgery.

Palacios is the Castilla team's first-choice left winger under head coach and former Madrid striker Raul. He is said to be known for his work ethic and attitude behind the scenes.

While Madrid have hopes of Palacios becoming a first-team star of the future, he had been linked with a move to crosstown rivals Atletico earlier this summer, though this injury will prevent him from leaving the club anytime soon.

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