Real Madrid Star Hit With One-Month Injury Blow

Real Madrid has confirmed an injury suffered by its midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, which SPORT reports will keep him sidelined for around a month.

"After the tests carried out today on our player Aurelien Tchouameni by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a sprain in his left ankle," a club statement regarding the development read when published on Wednesday afternoon.

Madrid is currently reeling after two heavy, back-to-back losses at the Bernabeu in recent weeks.

Almost a fortnight ago, it was hammered 0-4 by bitter rival FC Barcelona in El Clasico, and then lost a second Champions League match this season 3-1 to under fire manager Carlo Ancelotti's ex-employers AC Milan.

Tchouameni started the Milan fixture in a four-man midfield, and was whistled when his name was read out over the tannoy following half time after being replaced by Brahim Diaz with the score at 2-1.

Ancelotti confessed he is "worried" about his side's slump in form in the mixed zone post-match, but he didn't believe that Tchouameni would be affected by such treatment by the home fans.

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"Emotionally, no," Ancelotti answered, when asked if the Frenchman's morale could be affected.

"What we have is not an individual problem, but a collective one. Now it's time to get up, fight, and win the next game," the Italian added.

As things stand, however, Tchouameni will play no part in said next game, which is another home meeting with an Osasuna side that is defying expectations by flying high in fifth place and is currently the only Spanish outfit to have beaten league leaders Barca this term.

That match is Madrid's last until the international break where Tchouameni is highly unlikely to feature for France alongside Kylian Mbappe in UEFA Nations League meetings with Israel and Italy home and away.

When club soccer takes over the calendar again, Madrid has four matches in 10 days to contest against the likes of Leganes, Liverpool in the Champions League, and then Getafe and Athletic Club domestically.

Perhaps picking up minutes against Girona on the weekend of December 7 will be a realistic target for Tchouameni to lace up his boots again; that's providing he doesn't return ahead of schedule or suffer a setback, of course.