A fresh insight into the wellbeing of Real Madrid star Antonio Rüdiger has been forthcoming this evening.
This comes after the German international was omitted from Carlo Ancelotti’s matchday squad to face arch rivals Atlético.
The latest edition of the Madrid Derby is of course set to play out in short order.
In the buildup to the clash, the subject of personnel woes had taken its place front and centre in the headlines on the white half of the capital divide.
This came amid nothing short of a crisis at the heart of Real’s backline.
With David Alaba and Éder Militão both sidelined long-term, Antonio Rüdiger was then forced into a premature departure from Los Blancos’ La Liga downing of Getafe in midweek.
The former Chelsea man, in turn, was labelled as an immediate doubt for the derby, leaving Nacho as Carlo Ancelotti’s only fit and available senior central defender.
Safe to say, then, that all associated with Real Madrid were no doubt desperate for positive news regarding Rüdiger’s wellbeing, in the hope of a miracle recovery for tonight.
As much, however, has since failed to come to fruition.
As confirmed across the La Liga leaders’ social media platforms a short time ago, the experienced stopper has not even been included in the club’s squad to face Atléti.
In turn, Dani Carvajal has been forced into a central defensive role:
So, just what is Rüdiger’s status as of Sunday night?
As per a report from Relevo, the 30-year-old is currently dealing with ‘severe bruising’ to his thigh.
Despite having given his all to feature in the derby right through to this evening, the level of inflammation simply made as much impossible, with Rüdiger unable to run as things stand.
Conor Laird | GSFN
