Initial fears that Gareth Bale will miss December's Clasico have been compounded by the confirmation that surgery is required to solve a dislocated ankle tendon. Taking place in London's King Edward VII hospital on Tuesday, renowned surgeon and ankle specialist Dr. James Calder will oversee the operation, alongside club doctors Jesus Olmo and Mikel Aramberri. The upshot is that Bale will miss at least two months of Real Madrid game time, ending his involvement until around the start of February.However, no progress can be made while the injury settles down, which will take place over the next 48 to 72 hours, and how it does will determine the best treatment for the winger. At the very optimistic end of the scale, certain Real medical staff are still hopeful that Bale could feature in the Clasico on December 3, although the window of potential recovery remains vast at this point in time.
Surgery has not been ruled out, a procedure which would see the Welshman miss two to three months of action, including the Clasico, Club World Cup, and a crucial trip to Sevilla early next year. As ever, the intermediate option may be considered the most realistic, especially given the perilous nature of rushing a player back from an easily aggravated injury. In such a scenario, conservative, gradual treatment would see Bale dodge surgery but not play until January due to a four to five week recovery schedule. With Madrid sweating on the 27-year-old's fitness, they are left to ponder how they'll replace one of their most selfless and powerful players. With Alvaro Morata injured, Karim Benzema would be the natural option, moving Cristiano Ronaldo back to the wing, although Marco Asensio replaced Bale in Lisbon and maybe even Marcelo will be moved forward given the death of left-footers that could potentially unbalance the team.In what is a huge blow for Real Madrid, the club confirmed on Wednesday that the Welshman has suffered a dislocation of the peroneal tendon in his right ankle.
Substituted in the 58th minute for Marco Asensio, Bale was seen hobbling off the pitch in some discomfort. After the match, Zinedine Zidane was cautiously optimistic that the 27-year-old would not be out of action for any sustained period of time. "He suffered more of a twist than a knock, but we will have to wait and see what the problem is," the Frenchman told reporters. But medical tests conducted following Real's 2-1 win over Sporting show that the injury is worse than first thought, with Bale also possibly requiring surgery to repair the damage. "After tests carried out on our player Gareth Bale at the Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital, he has been diagnosed with a traumatic dislocation of the peroneal tendons of his right ankle. His recovery will continue to be assessed," read a statement on the club's website. Definitely out of the December 3 El Clasico, the attacker is also in danger of missing the Group F decider against Borussia Dortmund and the start of the Club World Cup later in the same month. No official recovery timeframe has as yet been given by Real Madrid officials.
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