Rodrygo Injury: Progress & Potential Return Date for Real Madrid Winger

Real Madrid's Rodrygo will miss El Clásico as the club's injury woes pile up.

Rodrygo will be unavailable to Real Madrid for at least 20 days. / IMAGO/Alex Perez

Rodrygo is set for a lengthy layoff after the Brazilian suffered a thigh injury against Borussia Dortmund.

Real Madrid's injury woes continue to worsen as the club confirmed Rodrygo will join Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Brahim Díaz on the sidelines. The winger made a tremendous play on the goal line that led to Lucas Vázquez's winner against Dortmund, but he had to come off the pitch shortly after due to an undisclosed problem.

"Following tests carried out on our player Rodrygo Goes by the Real Madrid medical services today, he's been diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his right thigh. His recovery will be assessed," Real Madrid confirmed in a statement.

Rodrygo had already struggled with back discomfort before the October international break, but he played two matches for Brazil before featuring against Celta Vigo and Dortmund for Los Blancos. Now, the dynamic winger must return to the sidelines.

Here's the latest on Rodrygo's injury.

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When Will Rodrygo Return From Injury?

Rodrygo will likely not return from injury until after the November international break. The 23-year-old is expected to miss three weeks for Real Madrid.

Carlo Ancelotti will be without his forward for matches against Barcelona, Valencia, AC Milan and Osasuna. The target date for Rodrygo's return is not until Los Blancos' La Liga clash with Leganes on Nov. 24.

Of course, there is a possibility Rodrygo recovers from the injury quicker than expected. Kylian Mbappé was diagnosed with the same injury back in September and the Frenchman was back on the pitch a week later.

Still, even if Rodrygo returns ahead of schedule, he will certainly miss El Clásico, the biggest La Liga match of the year, on Oct. 26.

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Potential Rodrygo Replacements for Real Madrid

The most natural replacements for Rodrygo on the right-wing are Arda Güler and Brahim Díaz. Except the Turkish teenager has only played limited minutes this season and Díaz is recovering from a hip abductor injury.

Fede Valverde is also an option to move up to the right-wing, but the Uruguayan has emerged as the most vital player in Real Madrid's midfield . Although Valverde has started on the wing in the past, without Toni Kroos on the team, he is needed in the middle of the park.

Ancelotti is more likely to roll out a 4-4-2 with just Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé up top. The formation is not Real Madrid's best, but Rodrygo's injury could force the manager's hand. A midfield of Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga and Valverde is the obvious choice, though Luka Modrić has been an integral part of Los Blancos' success over the last two months.

Should Tchouaméni need to drop into the backline at some point, expect Modrić to get the nod in a 4-4-2.

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