There was much surprise among Real Madrid supporters when it was revealed that David Alaba had been named in Austria’s squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualification matches against Azerbaijan and Estonia.
The 30-year-old, who joined up with the national team on Monday, has been out of action for Real Madrid since last month, when he suffered a hamstring injury against Liverpool.
There was talk that Alaba could be fit for El Clasico, but he was ultimately ruled out. However, despite not being at 100%, he will not rest and will instead play for Austria over the next week.
However, it has been revealed by Diario AS that Real Madrid’s doctors encouraged Alaba to join up with Austria. They feel that it would be beneficial for him to “get into a rhythm”, having not played in over four weeks.
The hope for Real Madrid is that Alaba will avoid aggravating the injury whilst on international duty, while also increasing his match sharpness ahead of the crucial season run-in.
