Two members of the midfield ranks at Real Madrid look set to go under the knife, to repair respective shoulder problems.
That’s according to Blancos insider Mario Cortegana, who has provided an insight into developments in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.
First on the agenda is Brahim Díaz.
Midfielder Díaz suffered a dislocated shoulder back in September, before making a goalscoring return to the pitch just days later.
As confirmed by The Athletic, though, plans have been put in place for the former AC Milan man to undergo surgery to fully resolve the issue next summer.
And potentially set to follow suit in going under the knife is Real teammate Jude Bellingham.
Like Díaz, Bellingham dislocated his shoulder earlier this season, spending a short stint on the sidelines as a result.
He has since marked his return in emphatic fashion, finding the net against both Cádiz last weekend, and Napoli on Wednesday night.
Despite as much, though, it looks likely that, in the end, Bellingham will also be left with little choice but to go down the surgical route, to ensure a full recovery.
As things stand, it is altogether unclear when this will be, with Carlo Ancelotti having little intention of willfully giving up his standout performer for an extended run of fixtures.
Next summer would likely have been the target, if not for the European Championships.
So long as he continues to deal with the issue without a notable drop off in performance, Bellingham will therefore put his operation on the back burner for as long as possible.
Conor Laird | GSFN
