Arda Güler has been cursed with bad luck since arriving at Real Madrid from Fenerbahçe this summer. The young Turk has become something of a social media sensation, with his tricks, flicks and long-range strikes in training going viral, but we have I have yet to see him don the famous white jersey in a real football match. Just when he looked set to make his La Liga debut against Valencia on Saturday, he was injured. Again.
Güler injured his knee during the pre-season tour of the United States
This is the third distinct occasion on which the 18 year old is broken down hours before the potential made his first appearance for the La Liga giants. After joining the club for an initial fee of 20 million euros ($21.35 million) in July, Güler took part in Madrid’s pre-season tour of the United States, before miss all four matches after injuring his knee during one of the first training sessions in the United States.
And not just any knee injury. The attacking midfielder tore his meniscus and, having not shown much improvement in the weeks that followed, was finally forced to undergo surgery to remove pieces of it. The operation went well and Güler was then registered to play the home match against Las Palmas on September 27, with Ancelotti revealing during his pre-match conference that the Turk would potentially be involved.
Forward breaks down hours before potential Madrid debut against Las Palmas
The Italian had barely turned off his microphone when the news broke the youngster had suffered a thigh injury and would be out of service for three to four weeksa cruel blow on the eve of his possible debut.
Madrid then decided not to take any risks with the summer signing and plunge into first-team action. Those three to four weeks turned into a little more than “just in case,” with the extra time used to help Güler begin to build muscle to meet the physical demands of elite level football.
Güler on the bench against Rayo and Braga
But the Whites’ caution ultimately made little difference, even if the Turkish international’s latest setback was the most difficult to take. Güler has had a real taste of what it means to be a Real Madrid player in the last two matches, in which he made the matchday squad and was named among the substitutes.
Ancelotti chose not to throw it while his side did not make a desperate attempt to lock down Rayo Vallecano in La Liga last weekend, although Wednesday’s comfortable 3-0 win over Braga in the Champions League This seemed like the perfect opportunity to put Güler’s toes to the test.
What is Güler’s latest injury and how long will he be out?
And for a third unlucky time, the teenager was once again struck by the curse of injuries. On Friday it was revealed he was now suffering a third separate issue – a quad problem – and was expected to be out for another month.
“Before the game against Braga it didn’t seem like anything, but it still bothers him. It’s not serious. The player feels depressed because he wants to play. It’s a small setback… It’s not a relapse of the old injury and we have the whole (international) break to make him come back stronger,” Ancelotti told the press.
Since joining Real Madrid, Güler has missed all 16 competitive matches this season (12 in La Liga and four in the Champions League), a number which will increase over the coming weeks.
