Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham suffered a muscle injury to his right leg during training on Friday, the club has confirmed.
A source told ESPN that Bellingham was expected to be out until mid-September, after the international break.
Madrid play their first home game of the season against Real Valladolid at the Bernabeu on Sunday, after starting the campaign with a 1-1 draw in Mallorca last weekend.
The match will see Kylian Mbappé make his home debut after joining Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
“Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid's medical services on our player Jude Bellingham, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the plantar muscle of his right leg,” the club said in a statement.
“[Bellingham] “I've suffered a knock,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said at a news conference on Friday. “We are evaluating it.”
Midfielder Bellingham scored 19 league goals for Madrid last season and was a standout in their first trophy of the campaign, beating Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup last week.
Expectations are high for Madrid in 2024-25 after adding Mbappe to a team that won LaLiga and the Champions League, but Ancelotti's side came under fire after dropping points in Mallorca.
“The evaluation has made it quite clear,” said Ancelotti. “At times we have lacked balance and we have to work on that. It is not too complicated. When the problem is clear, there is a clear solution.”
Ancelotti denied that there was a problem fitting forward Rodrygo into the team, alongside Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Bellingham.
“[Rodrygo] “He told me he's very happy here,” said Ancelotti. “He's working hard, he's been one of the best in these games, so there's no problem with him.”
