Dean Huijsen injury confirmed, El Clasico availability revealed

Real Madrid have lost yet another defender to injury, with Dean Huijsen becoming the latest to be affected.

On Wednesday, the Spanish Football Federation confirmed that Huijsen had been forced to withdraw from Luis de la Fuente’s squad for the upcoming matches against Georgia and Bulgaria – he has been replaced by Athletic Club’s Aymeric Laporte.

“Dean Huijsen is out of the National Team’s training camp due to injury to play the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Georgia in Elche and Bulgaria in Valladolid.

“The Real Madrid defender arrived with symptoms of muscle fatigue at the Spanish National Team’s training camp on Monday night. On Tuesday he did not train and his club was informed that the evolution was not positive, so on Wednesday morning he underwent a medical test confirming a muscle injury of which Real Madrid has already been informed, so he is being called up wishing him a speedy recovery.”

Soon after, Real Madrid released a medical report on Huijsen, revealing that “he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the soleus of his left leg”.

How long will Huijsen be out for?

Huijsen has been a key player for Xabi Alonso since he joined from AFC Bournemouth in June, but he is now set for a spell on the sidelines. However, it will only be a short one, with Diario AS reporting that he should only be ruled out for the next 12-15 days. If this is the case, he will definitely miss the match against Getafe, and possibly Juventus too – but crucially, he’ll be fit for El Clasico.

It has been a tough period for Real Madrid in terms of defensive injuries, with Huijsen now joining Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy in the treatment room, meaning that Alonso is down the bare bones for the time being.