Racing Santander defender Álvaro Mantilla suffered an ACL tear in his right knee against Real Madrid and will undergo surgery, according to AS.
In the 25th minute at El Sardinero, Racing Santander were 0-2 down to Real Madrid and trying to narrow the gap and get back into the game. After a long pass, Álvaro Mantilla chased down Cucurella and challenged him. After colliding with the Catalan, the Cantabrian defender landed awkwardly on his right leg and immediately fell to the ground. Play continued, with Dean Huijsen raising his arm nearby to ask Munuera Montero to stop the game, and Mourinho also signaling for play to be halted.
The referee then blew the whistle. After walking over to Álvaro Mantilla, he signaled for the medical team to enter the field to attend to the player, who was in severe pain in his right knee. Pedro Felipe came on as his replacement shortly afterwards. The initial assessment was very worrying, and all signs pointed to an ACL injury in the right knee. Militao and Íñigo Sainz-Maza, who both know what an ACL tear feels like, also came over to check on him. Limping noticeably, he walked to the bench from the south stand side, accompanied by Dr. Revuelta and physiotherapist Antonio Maranda.
After the match, head coach José Alberto spoke about the injury. "I hope it's as minor as possible, but it doesn't look good. This is the worst news we take away today, because he is very important to us," he said. Captain Íñigo Sainz-Maza also hoped the diagnosis would be better than feared. "We thought it would be an ACL for Andrés Martín, but it turned out to be just a sprain," he said on Cadena SER's "Carrusel Canalla" program. After an initial examination, Mantilla's knee was bandaged, and he left the stadium on crutches from the northwest corner. The club scheduled imaging tests for Monday, and an MRI confirmed the ACL tear. He will undergo surgery, and his season is over. With no other natural right-backs in the squad, José Alberto will have to reorganize, choosing between Pablo Ramón, Manu and Íñigo Sainz-Maza, and may even consider Iker Luque in some situations.