Real Madrid are facing a defensive crisis after Raphael Varane was ruled out of this weekend’s game against Eibar with a thigh injury.
The Frenchman limped off in the midweek Champions League match against Shakhtar Donesk after just 31 minutes with the problem and has since been assessed by the club’s medical team.
A statement on the Real Madrid website confirmed the injury, and while no official timeline has been put on the defender’s return, he will not feature this weekend with some media reports suggesting he could miss up to three weeks of action.
“After tests carried out today on the player Raphael Varane at the Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in his right thigh,” read a club statement. His recovery will continue to be assessed,” the statement read.
The news will be a blow to Real boss Rafa Benitez, who has seen his side ship 10 goals in the past three games. Sergio Ramos is due to have an operation on his shoulder after playing through the pain in recent weeks although no confirmation of when that will take place has been revealed yet.
Varane’s absence will allow more playing time for Nacho Fernandez, who earlier this week spoke about his delight at getting more minutes in the first team.
