Real Madrid dealt blow as defender picks up injury, set to have surgery - Reports

Real Madrid centre-back Joan Martinez is reportedly injured, which will necessitate surgery. The 16-year-old is yet to make his senior Los Blancos debut but appeared five times for the club in the UEFA Youth League last season.

As per Managing Madrid, the promising defender tore his ACL during a training session on Friday (August 9). It's a huge blow for the club, as Martinez had appeared during the pre-season tour of the US.

He was set to play in the upcoming UEFA Super Cup with reigning UEFA Europa League winners Atalanta in Warsaw on August 14. Considering the general timeline of recovery from ACL injuries, Martinez is now set to miss large swathes of the upcoming season, significantly delaying his growth.

As per Mario Cortegana of The Athletic (via Madrid Xtra), the young defender is now set to have surgery.

The priority of the club would be to have the defender fit as soon as possible. Martinez would hope to continue from where he left off in pre-season as he looks to break into Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded side on his return.

It's pertinent to note that three Los Blancos players - Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao and David Alaba - sustained ACL injuries last season, with the first two missing nearly the entirety of the previous campaign.

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"We want to win the title" - Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid custodian Thibaut Courtois foresees a tough clash when his side opens their 2024-25 campaign against Serie A side Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in the Polish capital next week.

Fit again after missing most of the 2023-24 campaign, the Belgian shotstopper sounded confident to take on the challenge of an Atalanta side who dealt Bayer Leverkusen their only loss of the season.

As per Madrid Universal, Courtois previewed the upcoming clash as Los Blancos eye their first title of the new campaign:

“We will prepare for Atalanta. They are a team that play well, they press all over the pitch. We played against them a few years ago in the Champions League, and it was a difficult game.”

“We know it is a difficult game, but we will train to try to win this game. We want to win the title."

New signing Kylian Mbappe is expected to make his much-anticipated Los Blancos competitive debut, having arrived this summer on a free transfer after a prolific seven-season stint with PSG.