Real Madrid midfield lynchpin suffers ‘discomfort’ in Argentina game | OneFootball

There was a lot of hope placed around Federico Valverde as he started for Uruguay in an important CONMEBOL World Cup qualifer game against Argentina.

It was a gritty affair at the Centemario, Argentina secured a crucial lead through Thiago Almada in the 68th minute, forcing Uruguay to mount more attacks in the final phase of the campaign.

However, a few minutes after the goal, Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa had to take off his star man Valverde, with Rodrigo Aguirre replacing him in midfield.

Valverde suffers discomfort after Argentina game

According to journalists Marcos Duran and Lorena Gonzalez, Valverde experienced discomfort during the match.

It was not the best of performances from the Real Madrid superstar, which struggled to impose himself despite working hard throughout the game.

Valverde had a difficult outing against Argentina (Photo by Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images)

What worried Madrid fans the most was the moment cameras caught Valverde grimacing, hinting at a possible physical issue.

This is not the first time the Uruguayan has played through discomfort. Earlier this season, he played against Manchester City while carrying an issue, suffered a knock against Atletico Madrid, and battled a hamstring injury against Osasuna in mid-February.

Since then, Valverde has been carefully managed by Carlo Ancelotti. He was benched against Girona and Real Sociedad, missed the Betis clash on March 1, and has not consistently started in La Liga since.

Despite these fitness struggles, he played a crucial role in Madrid’s Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid and was introduced in the second half against Rayo Vallecano.

Although Uruguay are yet to initiate any official statement regarding Valverde’s fitness, it is clear that the midfielder must be handled cautiously as Real Madrid wouldn’t want to lose their star player in the final phase of the campaign.