Real Madrid defender Militão making good progress in ACL tear recovery: when will he be back?

Real Madrid defender Eder Militão is making excellent progress in his recovery from a torn ACL, although the LaLiga giants are wary of rushing back to action sooner than was initially planned. The Brazilian is back at Real Madrid City doing gym work every day and was even spotted out on the training field with the rest of his teammates last week, although he didn’t actually do any ballwork.

Militão and Courtois long-term absentees for Madrid

Like teammate Thibaut Courtois, who also ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament at the start of the season, Militão is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Unlike the Belgian goalkeeper, however, his meniscus wasn’t affected by the tear, which means he should be back playing sooner.

While Los Blancos were busy beating Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday, the former Porto defender was continuing his recovery program in the gym, which is set to be part of his daily routine for some time to come. Club doctor’s have been keen to stress that no risks will be taken with him until he has fully recovered.

How long is Militão expected to be out for?

Militão, who recently celebrated the fourth anniversary of his Real Madrid debut, was injured at the start of the second half in the first LaLiga game of the season against Athletic Club at San Mamés on 12 August. It quickly came to light that the defender had suffered an ACL tear and he underwent surgery on 17 August.

The club later revealed that the operation had been successful but that the 25-year-old was expected to miss the entire season, with an estimated recovery time of nine months (which continues to be the case).

Madrid don’t plan to rush Brazilian back

However, the fact that his meniscus hadn’t been damaged came as a welcome surprise and, less than two months later, Militão is already able to move without the aid of crutches, a hugely positive sign for everyone involved. That said, Los Merengues will resist the temptation to rush the Brazilian back, as has been the case with Arda Güler and the now-recovered Vinícius Júnior.

The question could be whether Real Madrid will have to hold Militão back.