Mikel Rodríguez tears ACL and is ruled out for the season with Alavés

Deportivo Alavés has lost one of its emerging pieces for the remainder of the campaign. Mikel Rodríguez, a midfielder from Getaria, has received the diagnosis everyone feared following the injury he picked up in training on Thursday: a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The player is scheduled to undergo surgery in the coming days, bringing his first season in Spain's top flight to an abrupt end.

• Mikel Rodríguez has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
• He will undergo surgery and misses the rest of his debut season in LaLiga.
• The injury occurred on Thursday during a training session in Vitoria.
• Alavés paid Real Sociedad 2 million euros, with a buy-back option in place.
• Both clubs have sent public messages wishing him a speedy recovery.

The worst-case scenario for Mikel Rodríguez's knee

The feeling was not misleading. Since Thursday, there had been concern in Vitoria that the injury was serious, and the scans have removed any remaining doubt. An ACL rupture almost certainly means between six and eight months on the sidelines, a timeframe that leaves the midfielder with no chance of returning before the current season ends.

The setback arrives at the most unfortunate moment possible. Rodríguez had started to earn the trust of head coach Quique Sánchez Flores with an increasingly regular role in the line-up. He started two of the three matches he had played and, in his debut, he scored after coming off the bench. A promising start has now been put on hold.

How Mikel Rodríguez's season had started at Alavés

The Basque midfielder had arrived at Mendizorroza with the clear goal of establishing himself in the elite of Spanish football. His early numbers backed the club's bet: a goal on his debut, consecutive starts and an active role in Sánchez Flores' system were turning him into a player who was difficult to leave out.

Despite his youth, his ability to adapt to the top flight was one of the main reasons the coaching staff kept handing him minutes. Now Alavés will have to reorganise its midfield and look for internal solutions to fill a gap that had appeared to be already covered.

What the injury means for Real Sociedad's plans

The blow does not only affect the Alavés dressing room. Real Sociedad, the player's boyhood club and where he came through the academy at Zubieta, holds a buy-back option on Mikel Rodríguez. The agreement between the two clubs includes a clause worth 4 million euros after the first and second year, rising to 5 million if executed after the third or fourth.

The injury introduces an unexpected variable into that planning. Any decision over a potential return to Donostia will logically be conditioned by the player's evolution and the recovery schedule set by the medical staff. For now, Alavés' priority is different: to support the midfielder and speed up his return to the pitch as much as possible.

Public messages of support from Vitoria and Donostia

Both clubs have publicly shown their backing for the midfielder. Alavés posted a message wishing him a speedy recovery and encouraging him to stay strong, while Real Sociedad joined in with words of support for their former academy player. For once, Basque football has closed ranks around a player who now faces months of hard work and patience.

ACL recovery timelines: when Mikel Rodríguez could play again

Anterior cruciate ligament tears normally require surgery and a rehabilitation process that rarely lasts less than six months. A return to competitive action usually happens between the seventh and ninth month, provided there are no setbacks. All signs point to the Alavés player targeting the following pre-season as a realistic goal.

The club has not yet announced a specific date for the operation, although the procedure is expected to take place in the coming days. From that moment, the countdown begins with minimal margin for error if the aim is to be fully ready for the start of next season.