Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has been ruled out for up to three months after sustaining an ankle injury in his side’s 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon.
The Welsh international underwent scans after suffering the setback in midweek, and they revealed that he had damaged tendons in his right ankle which will require surgery.
Madrid have confirmed that the operation will take place in London on Tuesday, and will hope that their influential ace can make a speedy and full recovery from the issue.
“The Real Madrid Sanitas Medical Services have decided that Gareth Bale will undergo an operation following the traumatic dislocation of the peroneal tendons of his right ankle,” read a statement released by Real Madrid on Thursday.
Bale will now miss a number of key games for his club, not least El Clasico against Barcelona on December 3 which will be a major blow for Zinedine Zidane.
Further, he’s expected to sit out until February 2017, and with Los Blancos sitting clear at the top of the La Liga table by four points, it will be an unwanted setback in a season which is promising a great deal.
In the Welshman’s absence, Zidane will now likely rely more so on Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, although it will open up an opportunity for one of the fringe players to step up and ensure that the Spanish giants don’t miss Bale too much during his spell on the sidelines.
The 27-year-old has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 16 appearances in all competitions for the club so far this season.