During an international break which has seen Barcelona’s treatment room fill up, Real Madrid have been boosted by progress made in the recoveries of Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga.

The midfield pairing were both involved in a collective training session with their teammates on Monday, hinting at a dramatic increase in options for Xabi Alonso.

Bellingham’s absence was signposted. Over the summer, the England international underwent surgery on a nagging shoulder issue which has dogged him since he first dislocated it in November 2023. As trailed in the days leading up to Monday’s session, Bellingham made a partial return to training in his continued progress towards his full recovery.

The player is pushing for an earlier-than-billed return date, according to MARCA, but Madrid’s reshuffled medical department are wary of rushing their star midfielder back ahead of schedule.

Camavinga was sidelined for the Club World Cup with a hamstring issue only to sprain his ankle upon his return in August. The Frenchman is still yet to make a single appearance under Alonso. While Madrid’s away clash with Real Sociedad on Saturday is thought to be too soon for Camavinga—and Bellingham—there is a growing possibility that he could be involved at some point this month.

Madrid host Marseille in their first Champions League fixture of the season on Sept. 16 four days before another home game against Espanyol. There is also the small matter of the derby against Atlético Madrid on Sept. 27.

Bellingham’s return has been loosely pencilled in for the final game before October’s international break, a clash against Villarreal at the start of the month. That would theoretically give him enough time to feature in a marquee European fixture against Juventus and the first Clásico of the season.

In the absence of Camavinga and Bellingham, Alonso has settled on Arda Güler as the third midfielder alongside Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouameni. The whispy Türkiye international has endured a mixed start to the campaign but remains a favorite of the new manager. Quite how his new central role will mesh with Bellingham’s return remains to be seen.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jude Bellingham Part of Huge Double Injury Boost for Real Madrid.

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