Férland Mendy suffers another major setback — likely out for the season
Just 10 minutes into this evening’s game against Espanyol, he felt a sharp pain in his right quadriceps. It is his fourth injury of the season.
Férland Mendy has broken down again. Another injury, another abrupt stop to a season that had finally started to tilt in his favor. His talent has never really been in question — his availability has. And once more, that weakness has caught up with him.
The injury struck around the 10th minute, during a full‑speed defensive sprint. Mendy pushed off, felt a sharp, unmistakable “pop,” and still managed to reach the ball and halt the attack before collapsing to the turf. The pain was obvious. The diagnosis, even before tests, seemed clear: a significant tear high in the right quadriceps, similar to the one he suffered in the Copa del Rey final — the one that required surgery and kept him out seven months.
With only three weeks and four La Liga matches left, the odds of him returning this season are virtually zero. He walked off under his own power, lightly supported by team doctors, but his expression said everything. Just when he had reclaimed a starting role, the curtain dropped again.
A season defined by injuries
This is Mendy’s fourth injury of the season.
- Nov. 26 in Athens: Returned from his major quad tear… then suffered a right hamstring injury five days later. Out until Christmas.
- Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia: Another tear, this time in the calf. Missed the final and eight more matches.
- Against Manchester City: A third setback — another right hamstring tear.
- Now: A likely season‑ending quadriceps injury.
Since joining Real Madrid in 2019, Mendy has endured at least 19 injuries. His worst year in terms of volume was 2021–22 (five injuries), but most were minor. This season is different: he has already missed 29 of 52 matches — 56% — and is on track to spend nearly 150 days sidelined. Not the most injuries he’s had, but the most time lost.
A sudden shift in the depth chart
The moment he went down also produced an unexpected subplot: Arbeloa chose Fran García to replace him instead of Carreras. TV cameras even caught Carreras giving a wry, almost sarcastic smile on the bench. He didn’t warm up, didn’t move.
Now the question becomes: Who starts at left back in El Clásico? Fran García, who has regained some trust? Or Carreras, who had previously been ahead in the rotation?
What’s certain is that Mendy won’t be there. And given the severity of the injury, he may not return at all before the season ends.
He’s broken down again — and this one looks serious.
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