Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas will be off the radar for eight to 12 weeks after a surgery was performed in Madrid on Friday after the Spaniard had fractured his left hand.
"The period of unavailability is between eight and 12 weeks," doctor Miguel del Cerro was found to be informing in an official statement released by the La Liga franchise, confirming that Casillas would be in a cast for apparently three weeks.
The 31-year-old goalie got inflicted with the injury after teammate Alvaro Arbeloa inadvertently kicked his hand as he tried for a breakthrough during Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Valencia in the Spanish Cup Copa del Rey.
Iker was in splendid form who played key roles for Real as well as Spain. The injury to the Spanish goalie would be a huge blow now because of which playing to the full potential would be a big challenge for the respective teams. It is not sure how the replacements will perform and gel with the rest of the team. Playing for the side during crucial matches during the La Liga tournament, he ensured that the goal scoring spree of the opponents is avoided.
Casillas was eventually replaced by reserve goalie Antonio Adan. The Spaniard will now miss Madrid's Champions League round of 16 tie with Manchester United apart from the both schedules of the Spanish cup semi-final to be played against arch-rivals Barca.
The injury seems not to be a major one, but the physicians have already advised for enough rest in order to recover completely and avoid any future casualties. Substituting the valuable services of Casillas would be an uphill task for sure.
It was only on Friday that Madrid announced that they had signed Sevilla goalkeeper Diego Lopez on a four and a half year deal because of the injury to Casillas.
"Iker will be out two months, and he is a fundamental piece of Madrid and the national team," said Barca and Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez. "For Madrid, his absence will be very important, but they have other players and I am sure they will still compete."
Spanish media was agog with reports that the deal was valued between 3.5 and four million euros for the 31-year-old keeper who represented Real in 2006 before striking a deal for a period of five years at Villarreal.
Real Madrid will be playing its first match against Manchester United without Iker Casillas because of the injury. Displaying its full potential is a must for Real now in order to ensure that there is no change in their performance levels even after the ouster of Casillas. The role of Cristiano Ronaldo would become even more crucial in ensuring that there is enough amount of pressure built upon the rivals.
As far as the chances of Man U is considered, they will try to take every advantage of the situation because of the Spanish No 1 goalie is not available for them. Casillas might be regretting for sure as he has to miss the entire season of Copa del Rey.
