Real Madrid confirmed on Wednesday that Spanish defender Raúl Asencio will go under the knife in the coming hours after suffering an injury to his right shinbone, a fresh blow to the Whites' defence this season.
The club said in an official statement: "Our player Raúl Asencio will undergo surgery tomorrow to treat a stress fracture in his right shinbone."
Spanish newspaper "Marca" report that Asencio faces a long recovery after the operation, one that will sideline him for between two and four months. That rules the defender out until roughly the start of next year.
He was forced to cut training short once again as the pain flared up. Just a day later, Valdebebas confirmed their worst fears, and the Spaniard now heads for the operating table.
At no point did the discomfort ease. A fresh bout of pain in the injured area proved the final straw and settled the decision to operate.
Surgery had loomed over Asencio since the end of last season, when the option was already on the table. The plan had been to use the summer to trim down that lengthy recovery period.