Real Madrid youngster injures ACL, out for Six to Seven months

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Real Madrid's teenage sensation Joan Martinez faced a significant setback on Friday evening when he tore his ACL during a training session with the first team.

The 16-year-old, who had been called up for pre-season by manager Carlo Ancelotti, had shown promise on the US tour.

Martinez was in contention for Real Madrid's UEFA Super Cup tie against Atalanta next week due to the limited options at centre-back. However, his rapid rise was halted abruptly by the ACL injury he sustained on Friday.

Joan Martinez Out for 6-7 Months

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that Martinez will undergo surgery to repair his ruptured knee ligament. Consequently, the highly-rated centre-back is expected to be out for six to seven months. This injury adds to Real Madrid's woes, as they had already seen three young players suffer ACL injuries before the new season began.

Before Martinez's injury, Cesar Palacios and Daniel Mesonero also experienced ACL ruptures in recent weeks. Despite the severity of Martinez's injury, tests revealed no damage to his meniscus or lateral ligaments, which could have further delayed his return, according to Guillermo Rai.

The experience must have been overwhelming for young Joan Martinez, given his age and the nature of his injury. However, senior defender Antonio Rudiger provided ample support following the incident. The German reportedly travelled to the hospital with the youngster.

The German international even escorted the youngster back home later on, offering much-needed support during this challenging time.

This unfortunate event comes just weeks after Martinez made his first-team debut in a pre-season friendly. The young defender joined Real Madrid last summer and had impressed Carlo Ancelotti enough to earn some minutes with the senior team this season. He took part in the pre-season friendly against AC Milan and performed pretty decently, and then played in their friendly against Barcelona as well.