Sergio Ramos admits he had “no other option” but to undergo surgery on his knee, with the Real Madrid captain facing up to six weeks on the sidelines.
The 34-year-old, who has seen serious speculation generated regarding his future at Santiago Bernabeu as his current contract runs down, will be unavailable to Zinedine Zidane for the foreseeable future.
The Blancos are enduring something of an injury crisis at the moment, with their first-team squad being decimated by fitness setbacks, but their skipper says he was left with little choice but to seek medical assistance for a niggling ailment.
What has been said?
Ramos has posted on social media: “Hi everyone! Everything is going as planned.
“Mind already on getting back to work and back on the pitch ASAP. Thanks so much for all your messages and support.”
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He added: “In the end, I had to undergo surgery. No one likes to be in that situation but, thanks to God, everything has turned out great.
“It was on medical advice and I had no other option. I just wanted to say that I'm happy with how everything has turned out and that I'll try get back as soon as possible to help the team because there's still a long way to go this season.
“I also want to thank Dr Leyes and all his team for the excellent treatment and job during the operation.”
How many games will Ramos miss for Madrid?
The World Cup winner has already sat out four fixtures, with his last outing coming against Athletic Club in the Super Cup back on January 14.
He went under the knife in early February and is set to miss crucial upcoming fixtures in La Liga and Champions League competition.
Defending Spanish champions Real, who have failed to secure back-to-back wins since before Christmas, will be back in domestic action on Tuesday against Getafe.
Zidane’s men will then take on Valencia and Real Valladolid before facing Atalanta in the first leg of a European last-16 showdown on February 24.
A derby date with neighbours Atletico Madrid – who continue to top the Liga table at present – is pencilled in for early March.
Ramos should be well down a road to recovery by then, but it remains to be seen when he will be ready to step back into a team that requires inspiration from somewhere.
The bigger picture
Real’s injury struggles have left them with just 12 fit members of their senior squad.
Eder Militao is the latest to have been laid low, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Rodrygo, Fede Valverde, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Isco and Alvaro Odriozola already ruled out.
Zidane will be down to the bare bones against Getafe as a result, with questions already being asked of his long-term future at the Bernabeu as the Blancos scratch around for consistency.
