An unfortunate event for Madrid as the competitive debut of Arda Guler will have to wait beyond the first game of the La Liga season, with returning times still not certain. One of Europe's most exciting young stars is set for a spell on the sidelines due to knee injury and it's a blow for Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti. Arda had been impressing in training since his arrival from Fenerbahce, but that has been put to a halt. There was a big chase in the transfer market involving Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan for the signature of Guler but Los Blancos were able to convince the 18-year-old and his father that the Spanish capital was the best place for him.
Knee injuries are always a big fear for every footballer and their clubs and while there is a vast range of what they include and what the recovery time for each one is, it is already known that Arda’s problem deals with the meniscus. More precisely, he suffered a partial tear of the internal meniscus in his right knee. He noticed the discomfort in his right knee not long before the pre-season friendly against AC Milan in the United States of America. He tried to continue training through the pain but had to miss the match against Manchester United as well. The pain got worse and the decision was made to send him back to Madrid on July 29.
It's a blow to a player who must have felt he was on a path to plenty of minutes early in the season for Real Madrid, given how highly rated he is and how well he had done in training since arriving from Turkey. At this stage, Real Madrid have chosen not to force a specific time frame on Guler's return from injury and in the recent days both options for his recovery have been analyzed: surgery or conservative treatment.
Initially, Dr Jose Gonzalez explained to AS, it is best to wait and see if the injury can heal naturally for a player of Guler's age: "For an 18-year-old player, conservative treatment is always best. Now we need to rest for 15 or 20 days, after which, if possible, we can apply growth treatment and start working calmly, without forcing or exposing the knee to bending or impacts and see how it evolves".
He added: "With conservative treatment, the standard would be to wait up to two months to see if the problem subsides; if it doesn't, that's when you have to consider surgery. And in the case of surgery, there are two scenarios: if what is done is to remove the damaged parts and leave the meniscus in good condition, the estimated absence would be between a month and a half and two months; if, on the other hand, it is decided to repair the meniscus, then the absence would be between three and four months. But it depends on each player, I have seen players who had meniscus surgery and were playing 20 days later".
However, on August 10, the final decision on the treatment that Arda Guler will undergo to solve his knee problem was taken. Both Real Madrid and the player's entourage agree that the best solution is to undergo surgery and definitively rule out conservative treatment. Both the club's medical services and the player consulted various specialists and virtually all of them recommended surgery as the safest treatment.
Since initially the parties agreed on conservative treatment, the progress had to be considered as it is very unfavorable to extend the returning times too much. In case of conservative treatment the progress may be very slow and offers no long-term guarantees. The player also consulted the head of the Turkish national team's medical department. Once all the reports had been collected and with Madrid's medical staff present at Valdebebas after returning from the tour, the decision to operate was taken.
The name of Ansu Fati has been a hot topic at Real Madrid in recent days following Guler's injury. They don't want a repeat of what happened to the Barcelona player and have therefore acted decisively, trying to make the player understand that surgery is the best solution. Initially, the player was reluctant to undergo surgery, as at only 18 years of age and with the dream of playing for Real Madrid, he viewed the surgery as an abrupt break in his career.
The next issue to be decided is the type of operation to be performed. The first option is only recommended in cases where the torn part of the meniscus is minimal, as in the case of the youngster. The second option offers more guarantees, but the time out work is longer: around five months. When removing the meniscus, it is important to consider how the cartilage can be affected. In the past, meniscus tears were fixed by removing the meniscus completely, which ended up shortening the player's career due to cartilage problems. Now, stitching is the best solution, except in cases of minimal tears, which opens up other avenues. This is where Arda Guler is at the moment, and he has found himself with a major setback at Real Madrid.
At Real Madrid, the Turkish player has been given all the resources possible to help him through this difficult time. Ancelotti is also looking after the player, who he described as an "alien" and compared him to Buffon after the last match of the tour. The utmost affection for an 18-year-old player on whom there are high hopes.
Regarding the return, Arda Güler could be back in action in less than seven weeks after opting to undergo this minor surgery. The procedure means his meniscus will not be removed, and thanks to the arthroscopy, the recovery could be shortened by weeks. Madrid’s initial conservative plan was for an eight-week layoff which would mean further delay if the evaluation on the necessity for a surgery would turn out positive. Madrid will continue to opt for a gradual recovery plan at a steady pace for the young Turkish player. A possible return date is 24 September, against cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby at the Metropolitano, although the question is how long Güler will need to make a full recovery.
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