Ferland Mendy has been definitively ruled out of the second leg of Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal, following yet another muscular setback that adds to a long and damaging history of absences.
The French left-back suffered a hamstring injury before the first leg and, according to AS, will not be available for the return at the Santiago Bernabéu. For Carlo Ancelotti, it is a blow that is both familiar and costly.
The issue is not only the current injury. As reported by J. L. Calderón in Marca, the scale of Mendy’s physical unreliability has become systemic. “Mendy averages 92 days out injured per season,” he writes.
Since his arrival at Real Madrid in 2019, he has suffered 16 separate injuries and has never completed a season with fewer than 65 days unavailable.
The latest estimate rules Mendy out of not just the Champions League second leg but likely up to the Copa del Rey final on April 26. Calderón writes: “The plan has shifted from trying to have him ready for the Emirates to now aiming to have him fit for the Copa del Rey final in La Cartuja on April 26.”
According to the article, “His physical condition is his Achilles’ heel, and absences have become a constant.”
What makes the loss so significant is that Mendy is not a peripheral figure. He is described as “a key player in Real Madrid’s defensive setup, first under Zidane and now under Ancelotti. A nailed-on starter who just can’t stay healthy, and whose absences hurt the team.” His absence leaves a “hole”.
With Eduardo Camavinga suspended for the second leg against Arsenal, Dani Ceballos almost certainly out, and doubts lingering around Federico Valverde and David Alaba, the mounting absences are giving Ancelotti something of a headache.
Aurélien Tchouaméni returns from suspension and will be available, while Andriy Lunin is back in full training and could return to the bench.
Despite the injuries and suspensions, Arsenal will be under no illusions about what awaits in Madrid. But for Real, the timing could hardly be worse. Another season, another setback. Another ‘hole’ left by Ferland Mendy, and hopefully one Arsenal and Mikel Arteta can exploit.