It is no secret that Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio had been playing through pain from an injury for a number of weeks now.
The 23-year-old defender is dealing with a crack in his tibia, but opted to play through with the discomfort, given the team’s depleted resources in defence.
There was a real risk of him further aggravating the problem, with the crack potentially developing into a full fracture, that would have sidelined him for around six to eight weeks.
Asencio avoids serious injury
However, according to MARCA, Asencio has avoided a more serious injury with an express treatment and is now ready to return.
“I am not stopping for anything,” he allegedly said at Valdebebas, when battling through the injury issue.
The centre-back accepted the risk at the worst possible moment. The defence was depleted, the treatment room was full and the fixture list offered no respite.
With almost 1,900 minutes already played and his body pushed to its limits, Asencio stepped forward while teammates were nearing their return.
Recovering well. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Given the situation, the Real Madrid medical team opted for a quick fix that bought them time. The solution was a minimally invasive treatment to remove abnormal cells, in the area of the tibial scar.
And the past couple of weeks, during which he has not played, he repeated the process on several occasions.
Asencio did not feature in the previous La Liga game against Real Sociedad (technical decision), nor did he play against Benfica (suspension), meaning his last appearance was against Valencia on February 8. This extended break of 13 days has helped him tremendously.
Asencio wants to establish himself in the plans of Alvaro Arbeloa, who considers him the most in-form defender at the moment, and not miss out in a key year. On the horizon is a World Cup he dreams of playing in.
Stopping for six or eight weeks would have meant stepping out of several races at once and leaving the group short-handed. That was not an option for the La Fabrica ace.
This weekend, Asencio he will return to the squad to face Osasuna, in what will be an important game ahead of the decisive UCL play-off second leg against Benfica.