Photo: The tackle which could have left Real Madrid star with serious injury on international duty | OneFootball

A leading member of the attacking ranks at La Liga giants Real Madrid could easily have been subjected to a lengthy spell on the sidelines, owing to a challenge during his latest outing on the international front.

The player in question? Rodrygo.

Frontman Rodrygo was for his part afforded a starting berth in the early hours of Sunday, as Brazil locked horns with Uruguay for a place in the semi-finals of the Copa América.

When all was said and done, the Seleção were sent packing from the tournament, owing to a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat.

And yet, for Rodrygo specifically, things could so easily have been much, much worse.

Late in the action in Las Vegas, the 23-year-old was on the receiving end of a sliding challenge on the part of Uruguay’s Nahitan Nández.

With Rodrygo left grounded and in evident distress, the tackle at hand was sent to the VAR room, to check for a potential red card offence.

And as much is precisely what was revealed by the ensuing replays.

As evidenced by the image below, Real Madrid’s gifted forward was frankly lucky not to suffer a serious injury, with Nández having caught Rodrygo high above his ankle with his studs fully showing:

Conor Laird | GSFN