Real Madrid's medical chief sacked after Arda Guler injury setback

Cameron Smith

12 Nov 2023 22:02 GMT
3 min read

Real Madrid have reportedly sacked their chief medical officer, Dr. Niko Mihic, following Arda Guler’s injury-hit start to life at the club.

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Guler, 18, joined Los Blancos for €20 million from Fenerbahce during the summer after impressing on the senior stage in his native Turkey.

However, he is yet to make his Real Madrid debut due to injury. Guler has appeared on the bench on two occasions (vs Braga in the Champions League and vs Rayo Vallecano in La Liga) but he hasn’t stepped foot on the pitch in a Los Blancos shirt thus far.

Since those appearances on the bench, Guler has suffered another injury set-back and his debut has been pushed back until December at the earliest.

His slow start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu has not impressed the Madrid hierarchy and Mihic has been removed from his post due to his handling of Guler’s injury issues.

Mihic was in charge of dealing with Guler and nursing him back to full fitness, but Real Madrid weren’t satisfied and have sacked him, according to Marca.

While Guler isn’t the only player that Mihic was responsible for, the teenager’s repeated injury problems was “one of the triggers” for his dismissal, as per the report.

© ProShots - Arda Guler left Fenerbahce in 2023

Real Madrid’s injuries

Like many managers in world football, Carlo Ancelotti has been dealt a tough hand with regards to injuries this season.

Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao are both likely to miss the entirety of the season due to ACL injuries, while the likes of Vinicius Junior, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy and now Jude Bellingham have also spent time on the sidelines.

Real Madrid are currently second in La Liga, with 32 points from their 13 games. Los Blancos are two points behind shock leaders Girona, whose only defeat of the campaign came against Real Madrid themselves on September 30.