Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos may be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an injury in Los Blancos' 1-0 first-leg win at Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Wednesday night.
Ceballos has admirably forced his way into Carlo Ancelotti's side this season and the midfielder was handed his 10th La Liga start of the campaign at the Reale Arena.
Teenage striker Endrick scored the only goal of the game early in the first half, but the game ended in disappointing fashion for Ceballos who was seen in tears as he limped off in second-half stoppage time with an injury.
The 28-year-old challenged for a loose ball and his right leg collided with Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo, leaving the Spaniard visibly in pain before he received treatment from Los Blancos medical staff.
Discussing Ceballos's injury after the match, Ancelotti told reporters: "He had a muscle problem. It's a shame; there's nothing we can do. He has great control of possession and ball-handling ability."
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Real Madrid "devastated" as Ceballos could be out for "months"
Ceballos is scheduled to undergo medical tests on Thursday to determine the severity of his injury, with initial reports suggesting that he could be sidelined for between three and four weeks with a muscle problem.
However, El Chiringuito journalist Edu Aguirre has since claimed that the midfielder may have in fact also sustained a "serious" knee injury when colliding with Kubo and could be out for "months".
"What seemed like it could be a (muscle) tear, or about 3-4 weeks out, I'm told it could be more serious," Aguirre told El Chiringuito. "Ceballos will undergo tests tomorrow, but the feelings are very bad. I'm told we could be talking about months."
"Not only the tear in the hamstring, but the knee could also be affected," Aguirre added. "He suffered a very strong blow, but he feels there's something more in the knee: the feelings are very bad. I can't get ahead of myself, but they're talking to me about months, they're devastated."
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What games could Ceballos miss with muscle/knee injury?
Should Ceballos be sidelined for only three to four weeks, the midfielder will likely miss Real Madrid's next six matches in all competitions in the month of March.
However, if Ceballos's injury is indeed a serious one that requires 'months' on the sidelines, he would seemingly be in danger of missing the rest of the season.
Ceballos is all but certain to miss Real Madrid's next La Liga match away against Real Betis on Saturday, as well as their two-legged last-16 Champions League tie with city rivals Atletico Madrid.
Los Blancos are also scheduled to take on Rayo Vallecano, Villarreal and Leganes in La Liga in March, before locking horns with Real Sociedad for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on April 1.
Ancelotti has already revealed that both Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham are two midfield options that "offer something similar" to Ceballos and can fill the void in his absence.
Oliver Thomas
