At Valdebebas, Raúl Asencio met with Real Madrid's medical staff and coaching team to decide how to treat his right tibia injury. The club confirmed a stress fracture and agreed to operate this Thursday. The defender has been in pain for months.
The operation ends his wait for a first official appearance this season and removes the academy defender from Mourinho's plans for nearly three months, although Real Madrid has not announced a firm recovery timeline. His recovery will begin after the procedure. beIN Sports reported that Asencio had returned to team training in the days before the operation was confirmed but had yet to make an official appearance this season.
For Asencio, the choice was difficult.
He wanted to wait until Christmas and review the injury again at the end of the year. The club and player eventually chose the longer-term solution. Conservative care had not eased the discomfort he had endured for months.
Spanish football media had reported as early as late summer, including August, that surgery was under discussion. Asencio and the club first tried to avoid an operation. That approach failed.
The timing matters for Mourinho. Asencio has not played a single official minute this season, while Éder Militão remains out. Konaté, meanwhile, has just suffered an injury while with France. Those absences could have opened a place for the Canary Islander, even without match involvement.
That chance is gone for now. His recovery will begin with the operation, ending attempts to manage the problem without surgery. The medical announcement said all sides agreed to the intervention, which is intended to end the ongoing pain.
Reuters also reported the diagnosis and planned operation, citing the club's statement. The expected absence is close to three months, but the final timetable will depend on his recovery. Reports have cited an estimate of two to three months, though that is not an official Real Madrid timetable and some reports suggest a longer absence. The precise return date should become clearer after surgery and the subsequent medical assessment.
The contrast with the Madrid housing case is limited but instructive. In both situations, the formal step took precedence over the immediate preference. For Asencio, that step is surgery. The sporting cost is the loss of a defender for close to three months.
Asencio's chance to enter the official rotation has given way to a longer recovery plan. The club's stress-fracture diagnosis and the failure of conservative treatment shaped the decision. Mourinho loses a potential defensive option now. Real Madrid chose to address the source of the pain instead of extending a treatment plan that had not worked.
