25th January, 2013
Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas will be sidelined for eight to 12 weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured left hand in Madrid on Friday.
“The period of unavailability is between eight and 12 weeks,” doctor Miguel del Cerro said in a statement released by the La Liga club, adding that Casillas would be in a cast for approximately three weeks.
The 31-year-old suffered the injury after teammate Alvaro Arbeloa accidentally kicked his hand as he attempted a clearance during Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Valencia in the Spanish Cup.
Casillas was subsequently replaced by reserve keeper Antonio Adan and will miss Madrid’s Champions League round of 16 tie with Manchester United as well as both legs of the Spanish cup semi-final against arch-rivals Barcelona.