Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler has been hit with a fresh injury setback, further delaying his debut for the club after arriving from Fenerbahce during the summer.
Guler is yet to play for Madrid, who agreed to pay in excess of the release clause in his Fenerbahce contract to bring the young Turk to Spain.
He linked up with the squad in the United States for pre-season within days of signing, but was an unused substitute for the games against AC Milan and Manchester United. A knee injury resulted in the 18-year-old being sent back to Spain for treatment.
It has been a frustrating road to recovery, but Guler was in line to finally make his Madrid debut in this week's La Liga clash with Las Palmas. Carlo Ancelotti even declared him fit and available alongside the returning Vincius Junior and Dani Carvajal.
"He needs minutes, a little physical condition, getting used to the team's game, but he is fine. In this time he has shown that he has extraordinary talent and that is genetics," Ancelotti said of Guler when he spoke to the media in the capital on Tuesday lunchtime.
But barely any soon had the boss finished talking, Madrid issued a medical statement confirming that Guler has suffered a fresh injury and is ruled out of the game. It is not a recurrence of the internal meniscus issue that has sidelined him until now, but a thigh muscle problem instead.
Guler last played when Turkey beat Wales 2-0 in a Euro 2024 qualifier on June 19, scoring one of the goals. His most recent club match was Fenerbahce’s Turkish cup final win over Istanbul Basaksehir a little over a week earlier.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Real Madrid summer signing hit with new injury setback.