Valverde admits he is not fully fit as Real Madrid face fresh injury concern

Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde has revealed he is still carrying a muscle problem after joining up with the Uruguay squad, raising concerns at the club during a crucial period of the season.

The midfielder said he had played Real Madrid’s past two matches while feeling discomfort, despite the club hoping the international break would pass without further injuries among their 18 players away with their national teams.

Valverde arrived in Montevideo on Tuesday to join Diego Forlan’s Uruguay squad ahead of friendlies against Argentina and the Dominican Republic. Uruguay face Argentina on 13 November 2026, before Valverde is due to return to club action with Real Madrid against Celta Vigo in La Liga on 21 November 2026.

“I still feel some discomfort and I am not fully fit, but I have to join the national team. It is always great to be here,” Valverde told Sport 890, in comments reported by Mundo Deportivo.

“I had really been looking forward to coming back and playing with my team-mates every day.”

The 25 October meeting with Barcelona at Camp Nou was the starting point of Valverde’s ongoing problem. He suffered a muscle strain during the Clasico and was forced off at the start of the second half. Since then, he has continued to play while affected by the pain.

Valverde also missed the previous international break because of injury. He was then rested for the match against Racing de Santander, made a substitute appearance against AEK Athens and returned to the starting XI against Valencia before he had regained full fitness.

His comments came after manager Jose Mourinho warned following Real Madrid’s victory at Mestalla that several members of his squad were suffering from “extreme fatigue”. Valverde is the first player to publicly reflect those concerns.

The captain also discussed his return to the right-back position, a role he has occasionally filled in previous seasons and which appears to have become his regular position under Mourinho.

“I prepare to play in any position the manager asks me to play in. At the moment I am playing at right-back, and I am preparing to perform well there and be the best in that position,” he said.

“I like challenging myself every day and looking for new challenges and objectives. This is one of them, and I will give my best. If I have to play in another position for the national team, I will work as hard as I can.”

Real Madrid will now monitor Valverde throughout the international break, balancing his desire to represent Uruguay with the club’s concerns that his muscle problem could worsen before domestic action resumes.