Aurelian Tchouameni ruled out for Real Madrid and France as midfielder suffers muscle injury

Madrid have been dealt a hammer blow as the former Monaco star was diagnosed with a muscle injury after playing the full 90 minutes in the 1-0 Champions League loss to Liverpool on Tuesday evening. 

"Following tests carried out today on our player Aurelien Tchouameni by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a semitendinosus muscle injury in his left leg. His recovery will be monitored," said Real Madrid in a statement published on their official website. 

Madrid head coach Alonso will have to navigate through the upcoming fixtures without a player he described as a "key pillar" in June. "Tchouameni is a key pillar because of the weight he carries, the different roles he can play depending on the position he has to take,” Alonso said at one of the Club World Cup press conferences. “He constantly has to make small decisions and help the whole team.”

Tchouameni has been one of the most important pieces of Alonso's system. Indeed, the 25-year-old has started in 14 of the 15 games Real Madrid have played this season. With 1,224 minutes out of a possible 1,350, Tchouameni is the outfield player with the third-most minutes this season, behind Kylian Mbappe (1,310 minutes) and Alvaro Carreras (1,252 minutes). His absence will cause Alonso a huge headache.

While Madrid did not mention how long Tchouameni will remain out of action, a report from Spanish publication COPE indicates when the defensive midfielder could potentially recover. They claim that the Real Madrid No.14 will be sidelined for the next three weeks, with it never advisable to rush recovery from muscle injuries. 

Tchouameni will miss this weekend's La Liga trip to neighbours Rayo Vallecano, as well as France's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Azerbaijan later this month. It is also unlikely that he returns for Madrid's first two games – against Elche in La Liga and Olympiacos in the Champions League – upon the resumption of club football, while it is not yet clear if he will be fit in time for the Girona game on November 30. 

What makes matters worse for Los Blancos is that all of these aforementioned fixtures will be played away from home. Tchouameni is a key component of Alonso’s setup, offering both defensive stability and tactical flexibility through his ability to operate as a deep-lying pivot or drop in as a pseudo-third centre-back, both in an out of possession. His absence will leave a notable void in midfield and could significantly disrupt the rhythm and structure of Madrid’s play as Alonso continues to instil his habits and philosophy into his players.

However, it might not be as bad as it may look from the outside. Against Liverpool, Federico Valverde was brought off towards the end of the second half due to discomfort in his right adductor, with the Uruguayan telling reporters: “The doctors have told me it’s due to fatigue. They’ll do tests tomorrow or the day after.”

He has been cleared of any injuries and will be available for Sunday's game against Rayo. Tchouameni's absence and Trent Alexander-Arnold's subsequent return from injury could see Valverde return to the midfield after playing the last six successive games at right-back. 

What's more, Dani Ceballos and Eduardo Camavinga have also returned to full fitness. With no other injuries in midfield, Alonso has a number of options at his disposal. If required, he could call up the likes of Jorge Cestero and Thiago Pitarch from the academy, with the young duo already invited to first-team training sessions as well as matchday squads.

Alonso's side have lost just twice this season, both away from home: a 5-2 loss against Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano and the 1-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield. They firmly remain in contention to secure one of the eight direct spots to the Champions League round of 16, while holding a healthy five-point lead over arch-rivals Barcelona in La Liga. They will aim to continue their winning run domestically this Sunday against Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas, where they have gone three straight seasons without registering a win.