11 February 2024 , 15:47
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Real Madrid have suffered a major injury blow after it was revealed that Jude Bellingham is set to miss the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against RB Leipzig.
Bellingham has been in outstanding form for Carlo Ancelotti's side making the move to Madrid from Borussia Dortmund last summer, with the midfielder boasting an impressive record of 20 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
He bagged a brace as Real earned an important 4-0 win over second-placed Girona on Saturday, increasing their lead at the top of the table to five points. However, Bellingham was forced off in the 57th minute after suffering an ankle injury.
The 20-year-old was involved in a collision with Girona's Pablo Torre and initially tried to play on before he was replaced by Brahim Diaz. Real have now confirmed that Bellingham sprained his ankle, but did not put a timeframe on his recovery.
"Following tests carried out today on Jude Bellingham by the Real Madrid medical services, he has been diagnosed with a sprain in his left ankle," A statement. read "His recovery will be monitored."
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The injury means he will almost certainly miss the trip to Leipzig on Tuesday, but Real will be hoping the midfielder will be back in time for the second leg on March 6. England will also be hoping he can feature in their upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium next month.
Following the win over Girona, Bellingham posted three images of him celebrating with the caption: "Nothing's decided yet, we'll keep pushing! 20 piece. #HalaMadrid". And his Real team-mate Federico Valverde replied with a crude joke, writing: "You can't play with three legs".
Bellingham is set to play a key role in England's bid to win Euro 2024 and manager Gareth Southgate is keen to get the best out of him. Southgate said: "He's been remarkable, really. We know that he can adapt to pretty much anything. Clearly, they've used him in a more advanced role.
"I guess the bit none of us necessarily saw was the number of goals he's scored. He's always looked to make those runs but he hasn't always had that finishing capacity, and he's done that brilliantly. I've obviously spoken about him in September, October, November, but he continues to do exceptionally well.
"Again I know the club are very happy with him. It's not different to where we have been playing him. It's definitely different to where we started him, but when he's having the success in the role he has it would be silly not to mirror that in terms of where he will play."
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