Germany international of Sierra Leonean descent Antonio Rudiger is facing time on a sidelines after picking up injury on Saturday.
The tough-tackling defender was forced off with an injury after just 15 minutes as Real Madrid fell to Espanyol in the Spanish La Liga.
Rudiger has been diagnosed with a right hamstring injury, ruling the former Chelsea defender out of action for at least 20 days.
He is expected to miss his outfits’ crucial Champions League playoff game against Manchester City and the Madrid derby.
His absence would be a huge blow for the Spanish giants as the team continue to battle persistent injuries.
Real Madrid has further fallen short in defense, with Eder Milatao and Dani Carvajal still sidelined with injuries.
Carlo Ancelotti now have only three central defenders at his disposal: Raúl Asencio, Jesús Vallejo, and David Alaba, who has just returned after a year-long absence.
This season, the 31-year-old defender has played 33 matches for Los Blancos across all competitions, scoring twice.
