Three members of Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid squad were noted as absent from the club’s latest training session on Sunday.
Los Blancos, of course, marked their return to action on the back of the World Cup break a little over 48 hours ago.
Kicking the defence of their La Liga title back into gear, Real made the trip to the Estadio José Zorrilla, for a meeting with Real Valladolid.
And, when all was said and done, despite a couple of scares along the way, the Champions League holders got the job done, courtesy of a late brace from talisman Karim Benzema.
Benzema scores a second in five minutes after a lovely run from Camavinga.
The Ballon d’Or winner is back 😤 pic.twitter.com/RvySKpUyoO
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 30, 2022
Their eventual triumph, though, it would appear, may have come at a cost.
This comes with three members of the first-team setup in Spain’s capital having missed out on group training on Sunday afternoon.
Also absent, meanwhile, was hitman Mariano Diaz.
It now remains to be seen whether any of the trio are facing a spell on the sidelines, ahead of Real’s Copa del Rey meeting with Segunda Division outfit Cacereno on Tuesday night.
🚨 Carvajal, Courtois (and Mariano) did not train with the team today. ❌️
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) January 1, 2023
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