The period of suffering for ÖFB captain David Alaba is coming to an end. As Real coach Carlo Ancelotti confirms, the defender will soon be taking part in training again and should be able to play in competitive matches again in mid-January.
Without David Alaba, Real Madrid will take the lead in La Liga with a win at Valencia, which is second from last in the table, on Friday evening. However, the return of the Austrian national team captain is becoming more and more concrete, with the 32-year-old expected to be back in action for the Champions League winners in just over two weeks.
“Next week he will start taking part in games in training, and he could be back in action around January 20,” Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said at a press conference on Thursday. If all goes well, Alaba could make his comeback after a 13-month injury absence in the league home game against Las Palmas on January 19 or against Red Bull Salzburg three days later. Salzburg will be guests at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League on January 22.
Cruciate ligament rupture more than a year ago
Ancelotti is already longing for the return of his defensive leader. “The squad is almost complete and there will be more rotations, especially in defense, once Alaba returns. That’s the position we’ve suffered the most from. This will help us,” explained the Italian.
Alaba tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee on December 17, 2023, and has not played a game since. The Viennese started running training at the end of September and has been using the ball again since mid-November.
ÖFB team manager Ralf Rangnick said in November that he expects the captain to make a comeback for the Austrian national team in March. “It’s important that he can continue playing at the highest level for many years to come. A few more weeks won’t make a difference,” said the German coach about the 32-year-old, who has played 102 competitive games for Real Madrid since joining the club from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2021.
