Dani Carvajal suffers muscle injury early in Valencia win
By Tom Gott
Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal suffered yet another injury scare on Sunday as he was forced to retire early in the 2-1 win over Valencia with a muscle problem.
The Spaniard has been tormented by injuries over the past 12 months, missing a large part of last season and seeing his start to the current campaign delayed because of a problem he picked up in pre-season.
Five games into his comeback and Carvajal is facing another spell on the sidelines. He lasted just 26 minutes in Sunday's game before, according to ABC, he complained of pain in his calf and had to be withdrawn.
The 29-year-old will now be sent for another round of tests on this latest problem, which could see him return to the treatment table.
Carvajal missed 36 of Real's 52 matches last season, with muscle injuries proving to be a constant problem for the right-back, but Los Blancos showed their faith in his ability to bounce back by handing him a new four-year contract in the summer.
Since then, however, two more muscle injuries have surfaced, which poses a major problem for Ancelotti as his squad isn't bursting with quality at right-back.
Replacing Carvajal against Valencia was 30-year-old winger Lucas Vazquez, who has been the first reserve at right-back over the past few years. He endured a very tricky showing during the game and it was his failed clearance that gifted Valencia their goal.
The boss may be forced to use Nacho Fernandez out on the right, but he is currently covering for injured left-backs Ferland Mendy and Marcelo on the other side. Eder Militao is another option, but with David Alaba dealing with a long-standing muscle problem, Ancelotti may prefer to keep the Brazilian as an option at centre-back.
Despite the injury crisis in defence, Real remain top of La Liga and are currently enjoying an unbeaten start to the season, having picked up 13 points from their opening five games.
Three of those matches have been decided by late goals, including the Valencia game, which was won thanks to strikes from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema within the last five minutes.