Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger will undergo assessment after picking up an injury during the defeat to Espanyol on Saturday.
The Germany international, 31, had to be withdrawn after just 15 minutes of the game at RCDE Stadium with what the club later confirmed as a pelvic muscle injury.
He will now be assessed by club doctors upon his return to Madrid over the coming days.
“He has had a muscle injury. Now they will have to assess it,” Carlo Ancelotti said after the game.
The injury further depletes Madrid’s central defensive options with academy graduate Raul Asencio forced to deputise for the remainder of Saturday’s game.
Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is already being used in relief by Ancelotti with regular first choice Eder Militao out for the rest of the season with a cruciate knee ligament tear.
Right-back Dani Carvajal is also sidelined long term with the same injury while David Alaba has only recently returned after more than a year out with a similarly serious knee injury.
Any lengthy absence for Rudiger would represent a huge problem for Ancelotti to solve ahead of the Champions League play-off tie with Manchester City beginning on February 11.
Asked about whether the club could look into the market for reinforcements before Monday’s deadline Ancelotti said: “Signings? I can’t answer you on that. We’ve talked about it, we’ve thought about it and we know what we have to do”.
Madrid missed the chance to go four points clear at the top of La Liga with Carlos Romero earning a surprise win for the home side with the game’s only goal with five minutes remaining.
(David Ramos/Getty Images)
