Real Madrid Forward Reportedly Has Been Playing Through Pain Since December

This is concerning to hear about

IMAGO / Visionhaus

It's safe to say there is an injury crisis at Real Madrid. Eder Militao has been out since December and is not set to return until April, Jude Bellingham has been out since the start of February and is also said to be out until April, whilst Rodrygo ruptured his ACL in the defeat to Getafe on Monday night.

Furthermore, Kylian Mbappe has been injured since the game with Osasuna on the 21st of February, and could well be out of the Champions League round of 16 clash with Manchester City - and is particularly a concern for the first leg at the Bernabeu.

Well, it appears things may be worse for the Frenchman than first feared. According to Mario Cortegana and Guillermo Rai of The Athletic Mbappe "suffered a blow" to his left knee against Celta Vigo all the way back on the 7th of December, and has been dealing with discomfort ever since then.

Mbappe Played Through Pain for Over Two Months

Kylian Mbappe during the defeat to Celta Vigo | IMAGO / Zuma Press Wire

Furthermore, they report that the forward's appearance vs Talavera sparked an internal debate over managing his minutes to maximize breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's record (of most goals for the club in a calendar year). He continued to play all the way up until the defeat to Osasuna.

Meanwhile, it is mentioned that there is no clear timeline for his return. Some days he feels totally fine, and other days he is in a lot of pain. This does not bode well with the Manchester City tie now on the horizon.

Kylian Mbappe in action against Manchester City last season | IMAGO / Alexandra Fechete

To finish with some good news, they report that a dressing room source suggests Mbappe is "feeling calmer about the situation" and now "has a clear plan to follow." This slightly contradicts other parts of the report, but let's hope there is some truth to it.

Last season, the 27-year-old scored a hat-trick against City to knock them out of the Champions League play-off round. This year, the team lost to Pep Guardiola's side whilst he watched on from the bench, unfit to take part. It is clear as day that Alvaro Arbeloa will need him if there is any chance of progression.

That said, it sounds as if, understandably, the player does not want to take risks anymore. The World Cup will kick off in a little under three months, and he, like many others, would not want to miss it for the world. He will not want to suffer the same heartbreak that Rodrygo has suffered this week, so let's see. You can feel confident he will only return when he feels 100% ready to.