Isco undergoes surgery for acute appendicitis; reportedly out 1 month

Real Madrid playmaker Isco underwent surgery after tests concluded he has "acute appendicitis."

The club released a statement Tuesday explaining Isco's ailment, but offered no timetable for his return.

The news comes at a delicate time for Isco, who had won the trust of Julen Lopetegui early in the manager's tenure. The 26-year-old midfielder made six appearances to start the season, and scored in a 3-0 demolition of Roma in the Champions League last week.

The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and the change in manager had afforded Isco an instant boost in minutes, but Spanish daily Marca believes he could now miss up to a month of action. That would certainly rule Isco out of Wednesday's match at Sevilla and Saturday's derby versus Atletico Madrid, and also put him at risk of missing El Clasico on Oct. 28.

"This morning, (Isco) had some pain and he will need surgery, we hope it goes well and he recovers as soon as possible," Lopetegui said, according to Marca. "We are now thinking about solutions and who to put in because we have full confidence in everyone."

Dani Ceballos, who's made just seven La Liga starts since joining Los Blancos in 2017, would offer relief in the immediate future.