Real Madrid have been dealt an early-season blow with Trent Alexander-Arnold expected to miss around two months after picking up a hamstring injury in the Champions League win over Marseille.
The England international pulled up just four minutes into Tuesday’s match at the Santiago Bernabeu, clutching the back of his left thigh before being replaced by Dani Carvajal.
Medical tests have since confirmed muscle damage, and Mundo Deportivo claims that the recovery will take between six and eight weeks.
That would sideline Alexander-Arnold for at least eight matches, including the Madrid derby against Atletico and the first Clasico of the season against Barcelona at the end of October.
His return to Anfield for a high-profile league-stage clash with Liverpool in early November is also in doubt.
The timing is particularly frustrating for the 26-year-old, who joined Madrid from Liverpool in the summer and had been easing into life under manager Xabi Alonso.
Carvajal will shoulder most of the load in his absence, but he has just returned from a long-term knee injury and picked up a red card late on against Marseille.
Alonso may need to turn to makeshift solutions, with Federico Valverde and academy graduate Jesus Fortea among the options to provide cover.
Alexander-Arnold was billed as one of the marquee signings of the summer, but he must now watch from the sidelines as Madrid navigates a congested fixture list.
