Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas faces a long spell on the sidelines after fracturing a bone in his hand during Wednesday’s Copa del Rey clash with Valencia.
Casillas got injured during last night’s 1-1 draw. The injury occurred when teammate Álvaro Arbeloa accidentally kicked him in the left hand following a corner.
Casillas received treatment on the pitch and clearly wanted to continue but in the end had to leave the field.
A club statement this morning confirmed Casillas had a fracture.
“After carrying out initial x-rays at the La Moraleja Sanitas Hospital it has been confirmed that the footballer Iker Casillas has suffered a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal on his left hand,” the statement read. “It will be assessed again by a specialist later today to decide what treatment will be followed.”
While no estimate was given on how long Casillas might be sidelined, an injury of this type could take up to three months to heal.
That will mean a return to duty for back-up Antonio Adan, who has been controversially picked by coach Jose Mourinho ahead of Casillas in a handful of recent matches.
Adan is a good keeper but he is not Iker Casillas. The injury is a huge blow to Real, with the Champions League match with Manchester United coming up next month, a tie that Casillas is almost certain to miss.
