Forgotten star the reason Real Madrid won’t be signing any new defenders in January

“He’s gaining more confidence and doing more in training,” a trusted source from the locker room told us. However, no one within the team dares to give an exact date for his return. David Alaba’s (32) comeback remains uncertain, but there is hope he will be available by early January. This would significantly alter the club’s outlook for the winter transfer window. With Alaba fit, the urgency to sign a center-back mid-season would diminish, as the Austrian would join Antonio Rüdiger and the possibility of Aurélien Tchouameni playing in defense, along with youngster Raúl Asencio.

How long has David Alaba been out for?

This is good news for both Alaba and Carlo Ancelotti. The club has been increasingly sharing footage of the defender training at a higher intensity. Earlier this month, he started working with the ball again, nearly 11 months after his injury. He is approaching a year of being in recovery.

Alaba tore his ACL in his left knee on December 17 last year during a match against Villarreal. His recovery has been longer and more challenging than that of his teammates Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militão, who also suffered injuries last season and returned to play in eight months, although the Brazilian defender recently re-injured his other knee.

Explaining Alaba’s long absence

What makes Alaba’s case unique is the cartilage damage and the resulting pain when he intensifies his training at Valdebebas. Raphaël Varane had a similar issue and recently retired from soccer at the age of 31. Alaba travels to Innsbruck in Austria every two weeks to see Christian Fink, the trusted Bayern Munich doctor who operated on his ACL in December 2023, to monitor his recovery. This recovery has seen setbacks, including a minor surgical procedure, an arthroscopy, to clean the area and aid the healing process.

Real Madrid prefers to be cautious about Alaba’s exact return date, as it has been postponed twice (initially expected in October, then November), but there is now light at the end of the tunnel for early 2025. His return will be a significant boost for a defense line severely weakened by injuries.

Alaba will turn 33 next June, just before entering the final year of his contract. Madrid will assess his condition in the second half of the season to make a decision about his future. Given his age, any contract extensions will likely be on a year-by-year basis.

Original article written by Marco Ruiz, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.

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