Raul Asencio nears surgery on tibia injury

Raul Asencio is close to having surgery on the tibia problem that has troubled him since January, according to Marca. A decision could come within days.

The issue is a small fracture that first appeared at the end of last season. Real Madrid opted for conservative treatment at the time rather than operate, and the centre-back went through a series of rehabilitation sessions aimed at easing the load on the area. None of it has solved the problem.

It flared up again in August, once Asencio had recovered from a separate muscle injury, and the discomfort has not gone away since. He used the current three-week international break to make one last attempt to manage it without surgery, with an eye on starting against Villarreal when the season resumes. Surgery would rule him out for around two to three months.

The timing is awkward for Madrid's back line. Dean Huijsen is suspended, Eder Militao — who has 11 goals in over five years at the club since arriving in October 2020 — is still working towards competitive fitness after a long absence, and Ibrahima Konate is injured. Asencio had been pencilled in to fill the gap.

The centre-back has been managing pain in the same spot for nine months. If surgery goes ahead, Madrid will have to plot a way through the coming months at centre-back without him, and his return would fall around the turn of the year.