Jude Bellingham has returned to training with his Real Madrid teammates for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery this summer.
The star midfielder, 22, had surgery on his left shoulder on July 16 — after Madrid’s elimination from the Club World Cup — to deal with a persistent dislocation problem which had troubled him since 2023.
ESPN reported that the England international would be unavailable for between 10 and 12 weeks, which put him on track to return for Madrid in early October.
Photos and videos posted by the club on their website and social media on Tuesday showed Bellingham taking part in some training exercises with the group.
Bellingham also shared a photo of himself in training on Instagram, writing: “8 weeks… Back on the pitch with my brothers!”
Madrid are currently top of LaLiga with nine points after three games, having beaten Osasuna, Real Oviedo and Real Mallorca so far.
They visit Real Sociedad on Saturday, before hosting Espanyol and travelling to Levante, followed by a derby with Atlético Madrid on Sep. 27.
Bellingham has been a key player for Madrid since joining in the summer of 2023 from Borussia Dortmund.
He scored 19 goals in 28 LaLiga appearances in his debut season, and then nine goals in 31 league games last campaign.
Under new coach Xabi Alonso, he started all six of Madrid’s games at the Club World Cup, where he was one of the team’s most influential players.
Speaking in the United States, Bellingham said he was “fed up” with having to wear a protective strap on his shoulder, saying surgery had “been a long time coming.”
The midfielder first dislocated his shoulder in a game against Rayo Vallecano in November 2023, and had opted to manage the injury since, until this summer’s surgery.