Replacing Bellingham: How will Real Madrid cope without star midfielder?

Enough was capable for Jude Bellingham. "I've travel to the extremity of my patience," the Real Madrid midfielder said, smiling, successful the quality league country heavy wrong Bank of America Stadium successful Charlotte aft his team's 3-1 Club World Cup triumph implicit Pachuca.

Bellingham, who'd been named the game's MVP, had conscionable been asked astir the enarthrosis wounded that had troubled him since November 2023. Ever since, helium had worn a protective brace. Now, helium was confirming what had been wide reported, including by ESPN: that helium would person to acquisition surgery.

"I've got to the constituent present wherever the symptom isn't truthful bad. It's much being fed up with the brace," helium said connected June 22. "Having players tug connected it, and it rearranging each the time. In the vigor it's truly hard. I'm losing truthful overmuch value successful sweat ... I've got country scheduled for aft the tournament. I'll spell and get it fixed. It's been a agelong clip coming."

That country took spot past week. "The process to travel backmost has already started," Bellingham posted connected Instagram with a photograph from his infirmary bed. "See you soon." It won't beryllium that soon, though. The subordinate is expected to beryllium absent for betwixt 10 and 12 weeks, which would spot him backmost successful aboriginal October. By then, Madrid volition person played 8 LaLiga games and 2 UEFA Champions League matches.

It's a calculated risk. Madrid could person scheduled Bellingham's country for erstwhile the 2024-25 LaLiga play ended -- oregon adjacent earlier, erstwhile they had efficaciously dropped retired of the rubric contention -- and had him backmost successful clip for the commencement of the caller campaign. Instead, they opted to support him disposable for the Club World Cup, and miss a sizeable chunk of the adjacent league play instead.

New manager Xabi Alonso has already described Bellingham arsenic "a cardinal portion of the team," and Alonso's deployment of the subordinate truthful acold backs that up. Bellingham started each six of Madrid's games astatine the Club World Cup, playing 84, 60, 82, 90, 67 and 64 minutes. He scored 1 goal, successful that man-of-the-match show against Pachuca, and provided 1 superb, line-splitting assistance for Vinícius Júnior against RB Salzburg.

Overall, helium was 1 of the side's astir influential performers, on with guardant and breakout prima Gonzalo García, helping backmost Fran García and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. As the team's signifier shifted betwixt a 4-3-3 and a 3-5-2, Bellingham's relation remained somewhat consistent: playing successful an precocious midfield presumption up of 2 deeper-lying midfielders successful Federico Valverde and Arda Güler.

"I spot [Bellingham] arsenic a midfielder," Alonso said erstwhile helium was introduced arsenic Madrid manager -- alternatively than, presumably, the improvised free-scoring guardant of Bellingham's archetypal play successful Spain.

"Jude has the capableness to screen a batch of ground, but helium has to commencement successful the close place," Alonso elaborated further during the tournament. "He has the psyche of a cardinal midfielder. He likes to enactment successful the buildup, and helium tin get into the box, but wherever helium starts from volition beryllium important. That volition assistance him."

Bellingham volition commencement the play successful the gym, and Alonso volition person to conception a squad without him, astatine slightest for now. ESPN has reported that Madrid don't presently program to motion a midfielder, unless a subordinate departs first. "With who we have, we tin predominate successful midfield," Alonso has said. So who is champion placed to measurement into Bellingham's shoes, providing the blend of engine-room engagement and punishment container end-product which has the manager truthful excited?

Arda Güler

In conscionable a fewer weeks successful the U.S., Güler proved himself a beardown campaigner to beryllium a large portion of Alonso's plans. Left retired of the starting XI for the manager's debut crippled arsenic manager against Al Hilal, helium was introduced aft conscionable 45 disjointed midfield minutes, and kept his spot for the 5 games that followed, totaling 423 minutes astatine the tournament. Earlier this year, Alonso's predecessor Carlo Ancelotti hinted that Güler's semipermanent aboriginal was arsenic a deep-lying cardinal midfielder, and that aboriginal has arrived. Güler was acceptable to diagnostic heavy with Bellingham successful the side; without him, his beingness successful the starting XI looks certain.

Rodrygo

If Güler strengthened his grip connected a spot successful the squad with his performances astatine the Club World Cup, Rodrygo fto his gaffe away. A commencement against Al Hilal was followed by 23 minutes against Salzburg and 4 against Borussia Dortmund, with nary engagement astatine each against either Juventus oregon Paris Saint-Germain. Right now, Rodrygo looks to beryllium sidelined, conscionable arsenic helium was by Ancelotti. Bellingham's lack gives him much accidental of being involved, particularly if Alonso opts for a 4-3-3, and helium has the illustration to beryllium effectual betwixt the lines. But there's nary warrant he'll inactive beryllium astatine Madrid erstwhile the caller play starts, either.

Gonzalo García

Madrid's champion performer astatine the Club World Cup, capitalizing connected Kylian Mbappé's illness, with 4 goals and an assistance successful six games. Despite that, it was hard to spot a mode for García to get galore minutes successful LaLiga erstwhile Mbappé, Vinícius and Bellingham are each available, but Bellingham's country provides an opening. Just similar Rodrygo, though, García starting would mean playing 4-3-3 -- with the 21-year-old either starting astatine halfway forward, oregon connected the close -- and weakening the midfield.

Franco Mastantuono

A tantalizing wildcard, the River Plate teen volition articulation Madrid erstwhile helium turns 18 connected Aug. 14. Mastantuono has tended to play connected the close helping for River, portion besides drifting into much cardinal positions. It's not yet wide whether Alonso views him arsenic an contiguous starter -- the manager said Mastantuono had a "fantastic contiguous and an unthinkable future" past month, praising his "maturity" and "ambition," but let's spot if that translates into regular minutes successful LaLiga. As with Rodrygo and García, his inclusion would suggest a displacement to 4-3-3.

Dani Ceballos

ESPN has reported that Ceballos is 1 of 2 players -- with Rodrygo -- viewed internally arsenic being astir apt to permission Madrid this summer. He made himself indispensable for a clip nether Ancelotti past season, featuring successful 23 LaLiga games and bringing much-needed power successful midfield, but played conscionable 70 minutes implicit 4 games astatine the Club World Cup. The grounds truthful acold is that Alonso isn't convinced.

Eduardo Camavinga

Camavinga hasn't played since April erstwhile helium suffered a groin injury. He travelled to the U.S., but contempt taking "great steps guardant successful his recovery," according to Alonso, it wasn't capable to feature. Bellingham's lack should beryllium the cleanable accidental for Camavinga to measurement into the team, forming a treble pivot with Valverde, and allowing Güler to run further forward. His improvement has stalled since joining Madrid successful 2021 -- injuries haven't helped -- but he's inactive conscionable 22. And if there's anybody who tin get the champion retired of him, it mightiness conscionable beryllium Alonso.

Brahim Díaz

Alonso utilized Díaz arsenic a substitute astatine the Club World Cup, coming disconnected the seat successful 4 games, playing a full of 103 minutes and providing 1 assist. That seems the astir apt relation for Díaz, 25, erstwhile LaLiga kicks off, though helium does person the versatile accomplishment acceptable to beryllium a utile nexus betwixt midfield and onslaught successful a 3-5-2 oregon 4-3-3. A regular starting spot, particularly fixed the signing of Mastantuono arsenic nonstop contention and the emergence of García, feels unlikely.

The thought that 1 subordinate volition slot into the squad arsenic a like-for-like replacement for Bellingham is, of course, absurd. None of the candidates listed supra precisely lucifer his profile, and successful immoderate case, Alonso has already voiced a tendency to marque the squad "flexible" and "dynamic." That means not relying connected 1 strategy -- switching betwixt 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 -- oregon 1 starting XI.

It besides means idiosyncratic players being comfy taking connected aggregate roles, adjacent wrong games, specified arsenic Aurélien Tchouaméni's positional shifts from being successful the mediate of a backmost three, to pushing up into midfield. Replacing Bellingham volition beryllium a corporate effort, not an idiosyncratic one, and volition beryllium connected the crippled authorities and hostile arsenic overmuch arsenic each player's characteristics.

Madrid volition miss Bellingham's cutting borderline -- contempt a driblet disconnected successful scoring, helium inactive produced an awesome 17 goals and assists successful LaLiga past play -- arsenic good arsenic his passing range, his enactment and his competitory spirit. It's hard to rotation his lack arsenic a positive. But let's try: determination is 1 mode successful which it mightiness marque beingness easier for Alonso.

By removing 1 large name, must-pick subordinate from an attacking 3rd that already includes Mbappé and Vinicius, it volition springiness the manager immoderate state to beryllium originative successful uncovering solutions. What Alonso does with that state volition beryllium fascinating and volition archer america a batch astir the benignant of squad he's trying to build.