Real Madrid still in the dark on Dean Huijsen return as backline headaches grow

Real Madrid do not have a return date for Dean Huijsen, adding another layer of uncertainty to a defense already pushed to the limit. Club staff have not provided a medical bulletin or a projected timeline, and the issue is described internally as open-ended. With key domestic and European matches ahead, this ambiguity forces Carlo Ancelotti to keep juggling options at center back and fullback cover. The mood around the squad feels tense, and fans are confused about what exactly is going on. For a club that prides itself on clarity and control, this is a rare blind spot at a bad time.

Spanish press and Madrid-based sources indicate the club has no clarity on when Dean Huijsen will rejoin full group work. There has been no official medical update, no staged return plan, and no checkpoint date communicated to staff or media. The uncertainty arrives as Real Madrid approach a dense run of La Liga fixtures and continental commitments, with the coaching staff already managing heavy minutes across the back line. Internally, the message has been simple but stark: there is no timeline yet.

🚨 BREAKING: Real Madrid do NOT know when Huijsen will return. @diarioas

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

From a rival’s point of view, this is exactly the kind of mess that tilts a title race. No timeline means no planning. Coaches can prepare for a week, a month, or a season-ending blow, but the worst scenario is the fog of not knowing. Real Madrid are living in that fog right now. I have seen this before in Madrid’s camp - last year at Valdebebas there was a similar hush when a defender hit a setback, and the silence stretched for weeks. It disrupted rotations and strained legs that were already running hot.

Tactically, the knock-on effects are brutal. Rüdiger has been a warrior, but extended overload invites lapses. Militao is elite in duels, yet he needs a stable partner to time his front-foot defending. Alaba’s recovery arc has required patience and careful management. Without a firm return date for Huijsen, Madrid will keep shuffling pieces - fullbacks tucked inside, midfielders dropping between center backs, emergency cameos from youth. Every tweak costs rhythm. Every extra sprint adds risk.

Let’s be blunt: if Madrid cannot even sketch a return window, the safe assumption is that it drifts long - far longer than the optimistic whispers floating around the city. Title challengers don’t forgive uncertainty. They punish it. And this is the kind of uncertainty that lingers deep into spring.

Reaction

The fan mood is a cocktail of sarcasm, worry, and resignation. One comment summed it up with a dry jab - is he on holiday? - while another asked the obvious: what kind of injury is it, and why is there no clarity? A few went straight to worst-case scenarios, wondering out loud if it was something as severe as an ACL or if the club had simply lost the plot with injuries. Others shrugged, saying they no longer care because the list of problems feels endless.

Some Madrid supporters tried to be constructive, arguing that the squad should promote a youth option or pivot to a back three until bodies return. But most focused on the communication gap. When there’s no bulletin and no timetable, fans fill the void with speculation. And in Madrid’s current climate, speculation hardens quickly into frustration. More than one voice hinted that he might never play for them again, which is extreme but telling. The message from the fanbase is clear: uncertainty is worse than bad news, and right now they’re getting too much of it.

Social reactions

And watch us get nobody in the transfer window….

post.master.general (@fightingdest)

i don’t even care anymore

NELL (@yowaimellya)

He’s going to be missed sorely with Militao also out. I have to admit we’re cooked at the back

Shaqman (@ivmdecember)

Prediction

Short term, expect more patchwork. Ancelotti will likely lean on Rüdiger to anchor, rotate Militao carefully, and use midfield protection to mask the gaps. Without a defined horizon for Huijsen, Madrid will protect results first and aesthetics second. In tight away fixtures, don’t be surprised by conservative lines and fewer risks in the first phase. Set pieces will become a focus - when structure wobbles, set pieces decide points.

Medium term, Madrid are pushed toward market action or a firm Castilla promotion. If the calendar turns and there is still no timeline, a late-window stopgap or a high-minute youth solution becomes inevitable. My projection - measured against similar cases I’ve covered - is that the talk of “week to week” will give way to “after the next international break,” then “we’ll reassess next month.” Translation: months, not weeks. By then, rivals will have scented blood and targeted the channels Madrid can’t close.

Long term, the club will audit medical and communication protocols. They always do after a season of soft-tissue mysteries. But that won’t help them now. The damage is done in the rhythm of the season - and that rhythm will not wait for one more indefinite update.

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Conclusion

Real Madrid thrive on certainty and stars who meet the moment. Usually, they get both. This time, they have neither. There is no return date for Dean Huijsen, no roadmap to fold him back in, and no clean way to distribute the load without risking another body. Veterans like Rüdiger and Militao have the grit of players who command respect, but even legends bend under relentless minutes. The longer this drags, the more Madrid’s shape will flatten into risk avoidance, not dominance.

From the outside looking in, you can call it cruel luck or poor planning. Either way, the table won’t care. Points slip when defenses lose continuity, and title races punish gaps in availability. Until Madrid stop speaking in fog and start speaking in dates, the advantage tilts away from them. If they want to steady the ship, they need clarity, a promotion or a signing, and a public timeline that fans and teammates can trust. Absent that, rivals will circle and feast.