Real Madrid is stumbling toward the decisive phase of the season. The return of Kylian Mbappé is eagerly awaited. But when is it really realistic to expect the Frenchman to play?
Tuesday evening could normally have been a cause for schadenfreude among Real Madrid fans. But the failure of arch-rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey is probably not a big issue given their own embarrassing defeat in Albacete in the round of 16.
After all, Los Blancos currently have enough problems of their own. After two unexpected league defeats in a row (1-2 in Pamlona and 0-1 against Getafe), Real are suddenly four points behind leaders Barcelona and are in danger of missing out on the national championship again. In the Champions League, the round of 16 clash with in-form Manchester City and their coach Pep Guardiola is just around the corner.
At a time when Madrid is already discussing potential summer replacements for Alvaro Arbeloa and fans are gradually turning away from the team, the return of the injured Kylian Mbappé is perhaps more important than ever. After all, the exceptional player has scored 38 of the Blancos’ 87 competitive goals this season, which have become too predictable – almost 44 percent.
But this raises the most pressing question at the royal court: How realistic is Real’s goal of having Mbappé back for the round of 16 second leg against Manchester City on March 17?
Three months of pain
The fact is that Mbappé has been suffering from pain in his left knee since the beginning of December. The Frenchman often ignored the injury at the end of the year and gritted his teeth. However, he missed the last two games against Benfica (2-1) and Getafe (0-1) completely. Officially, it is a sprained knee that requires conservative treatment. Real confirmed the diagnosis from the end of December again last Monday.
Mbappé traveled to trusted specialists in France to be on the safe side. Arbeloa had said before the Getafe game that Mbappé’s situation would be reassessed on a daily basis. However, there has been no significant improvement yet. According to sources close to the club, which The Athletic has tapped into, it is instead a case of ups and downs.
Better days are followed by days of great pain. In France, it is now assumed that Mbappé, who has missed a third of Real’s games this year (5 out of 15), will not be able to play in the Equipe Tricolore’s important World Cup warm-up matches against Brazil and Colombia at the end of March. Immediately before that, the round of 16 second leg against ManCity and the important city derby against Atletico in the league await.
Worst-case scenario to be avoided
According to knee specialists, Mbappé’s injury is not serious, but it may have become chronic.
If the injury does not heal properly, the knee could remain unstable—and still require surgery. With 104 days to go before France’s World Cup opener against Senegal, that would be the worst-case scenario. For Real, anyway. Meanwhile, all kinds of rumors are circulating in Spain. Cadena Ser, for example, reports that Mbappé’s posterior cruciate ligament is “at its limit.” With the World Cup in mind, the striker therefore needs every day to recover.
At this point in time, it is apparently impossible to give a reliable assessment of when Mbappé will be able to return to the pitch permanently. However, according to Arbeloa, Real will not take “any risks” – and certainly not with Mbappé after the experiences of the last three months.
