Double blow for Real Madrid as Mendy and Alaba go under the knife

The club issued a double medical report, marking another grim chapter in what has become a disastrous spell for Los Blancos' medical department. This time, the club announced that Alaba and Mendy had undergone successful surgeries and can now begin their recovery processes.

Alaba was operated on to repair a tear in the medial meniscus of his left knee – the same knee that previously sidelined him for over a year. Although the nature of the injury is different, it nonetheless represents a significant blow for the 32-year-old.

Shortly after operating on Alaba, Dr Manuel Leyes, who also performed the Austrian's surgery, proceeded to carry out Mendy's procedure under the supervision of Real Madrid's medical staff. The French defender required intervention to repair a rupture in the proximal tendon of the rectus femoris in his right quadriceps.

It has been a busy few days in the operating theatre, with both players following in the footsteps of Antonio Rudiger, who recently underwent surgery to address a partial meniscus tear. The German centre-back had been managing knee pain for months before finally opting for surgery after the Copa del Rey final.

This string of injuries has left Real Madrid's defensive options severely depleted. In addition to Alaba, Mendy and Rudiger – all of whom will miss the Club World Cup – Carlo Ancelotti is also without Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao.

As it stands, the only fit defenders available to the Italian manager are Lucas Vazquez, Raul Asencio, Jesus Vallejo and Fran Garcia.