Mariano Diaz suffers sprained ankle

Real Madrid have suffered their first post-World Cup injury. Yesterday, Mariano Diaz did not train with the rest of the players at Valdebebas, and it was learned later in the evening, through the striker’s Instagram story, that his ankle was heavily swollen:

Mariano likely won’t be a big part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans, but, nevertheless, he is a player who can contribute and provide rest to Karim Benzema, and Ancelotti has used the striker in certain late-game situations where Real Madrid need a target in the box while chasing a goal.

The striker’s place in the matchday squad for the game against Real Valladolid on Friday is now in doubt, but the severity of his injury is still unknown. In the photo, the ankle looks quite swollen, but there hasn’t been a report one way or the other, and he could recover in a matter of days.