Gareth Bale Injury: Real Madrid Star Reportedly out 4 Months with Ankle Problem

Real Madrid have been dealt a huge blow after it was reported that star winger Gareth Bale will be sidelined for up to four months as he has to have surgery on his ankle. 

The Spanish club confirmed on Thursday that Bale will have an operation on his right ankle next week, after he hobbled out of Real's 2-1 UEFA Champions League win against Sporting CP on Tuesday.

MailOnline reported the potential four-month absence the Welshman now faces:

The man himself posted the following snap from the treatment table of his injured ankle on Instagram:

Bale has started 11 of Real's 12 La Liga games this season as manager Zinedine Zidane's side have risen to the top of the Spanish top flight, with the 27-year-old netting five goals and providing two assists.

Most pressingly, Real will need to find a way to cope without him in their home Liga clash with Sporting Gijon on Saturday, which is followed a week later by the first Clasico of the season at Barcelona. 

Los Blancos have plenty of alternative attacking options to call upon, but Zidane may have to be a little more creative with his tactics.

Bale has most often this season been utilised on the right flank, a role Lucas Vazquez filled excellently last time out in La Liga as Real beat Atletico Madrid 3-0—the former Tottenham Hotspur star played on the left at the Vicente Calderon with Cristiano Ronaldo as the No. 9. 

The 25-year-old Spaniard is just one of the options who can be utilised in Bale's absence, with the likes of Isco, James Rodriguez and Marco Asensio also offering excellent attacking cover.

Spanish football writer Sid Lowe offered a more positive prognosis for Bale, suggesting he might only have to spend two months in recovery:

"

Bale to be operated on, then. Suggestion that he'll be out for a couple of months.

— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) November 24, 2016"

He will still be absent for lots of key matches, though, including all of next month's FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, and his particular brand of power and athleticism will be sorely missed by Real.

However, such is the depth and quality of Zidane's squad that they have plenty of options available for cover, and for the likes of James and Asensio, it throws up a brilliant opportunity for them to prove their worth.