Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has affirmed that Gavi is not to blame for the foot injury he sustained in Saturday's El Clasico triumph over Barcelona.
The 23-year-old completed the full 90 minutes as Carlo Ancelotti's side bested their bitter rivals 2-1, where Jude Bellingham's brace cancelled out an Ilkay Gundogan opener.
However, it emerged after the derby that Tchouameni had suffered an incomplete stress fracture in the second metatarsal in his left foot, which will keep him sidelined for between four and six weeks.
As a result, the former Monaco man is set to miss Champions League clashes with Braga and Napoli next month, as well as La Liga clashes with Granada, Rayo Vallecano, Valencia and Cadiz.
Should Tchouameni spend a full six weeks on the sidelines, the France international could sit out meetings with Union Berlin and Villarreal, leaving Ancelotti slightly short of options in the engine room.
The France international will also miss a pair of Euro 2024 qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece next month, although the clashes are dead rubbers anyway, as Didier Deschamps's men have already qualified for the tournament.
Following news of Tchouameni's absence, social media videos begun circulating from a moment in El Clasico where Gavi appeared to tread on the Frenchman's foot, although the Real Madrid man did not appear to be struggling after the incident.
Nevertheless, Gavi was subjected to a torrent of abuse online, forcing Tchouameni to put out a statement denying that the Spaniard was the culprit and confirming that he sustained the issue in the first half.
Replying to a post from DAZN regarding the incident, Tchouameni stated: "It's not Gavi's fault. I got injured at the end of the first half."
The 23-year-old's absence is a significant blow to Real Madrid, as he had started 10 of their opening La Liga matches and two of their first three Champions League contests in the 2023-24 campaign.
Tchouameni's first campaign at Real Madrid was met with mixed reviews, but he has been a crucial performer for Ancelotti in the engine room this term and scored his first goal for the club in September's 3-0 win over Girona.
The Frenchman joins a well-occupied Real Madrid infirmary also holding Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois, both of whom will remain sidelined for months with their ACL injuries.
Teenage Turkish midfielder Arda Guler has also been plagued by a knee problem since joining Los Blancos from Fenerbahce this summer, and he is yet to make his senior debut for the club.
Finally, left-back Ferland Mendy and midfielder Dani Ceballos are down with discomfort and a quadriceps issue respectively, although the former's issue is not believed to be anything severe. body check tags ::
