Alaba's adventure in Italy threatened with an end after less than two months

Doubts are growing over David Alaba's future with Udinese after less than two months since his move to the Italian club. He hoped to restore his form and relaunch his career during the final stage of his professional journey, but recurring injuries have once again haunted him and disrupted his fresh start.

The 34-year-old Austrian defender has joined Udinese at the end of September on a one-year contract after his journey with Real Madrid ended following five seasons, during which he was unable to maintain his consistency in recent years due to a series of injuries.

David Alaba's start with the Italian team has been modest, as he made his first appearance on October 12, coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute during the match against Torino, which ended in a 2-1 loss for Udinese, giving him only 18 minutes of play.

After a week, he got his first chance in the starting lineup against US Lecce, but the match turned into a new setback as Udinese had a poor first half and fell behind by two goals. This prompted former coach Kosta Runjaic to make three substitutions at halftime, with Alaba being one of the players replaced.

The Austrian defender has not appeared again since that match, after Udinese announced that he suffered a muscle injury in his right calf and began a rehabilitation program, with his condition being evaluated weekly, thus renewing his physical struggles that have plagued him in recent years.

The most notable setbacks for Alaba date back to December 2023, when he suffered a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee, an injury that kept him off the pitch for over a year. He returned to action in April 2025, but shortly after, he suffered a tear in the meniscus, sidelining him for an additional three months, along with struggling with recurring muscle injuries, particularly in his calf muscles.

According to the Austrian site "Heute", David Alaba has missed 122 matches during his time at Real Madrid due to injuries, spending 699 days away from the pitch. These figures reflect the extent of the physical problem that now threatens his continued presence in football at the highest level.

The challenges were not limited to the physical side, as Udinese witnessed a change in their coaching staff, with Ronyaić being dismissed at the beginning of November, and Paulo Zanetti taking over the responsibility. The team lost their first match under their new coach against Venezia by a score of 1-2, dropping to the bottom of the Serie A table, after Venezia occupied that position before the match.

Alaba hopes to use the current international break to continue his rehabilitation program and work on regaining his fitness, with the aim of returning to the pitch as soon as possible. Predictions suggest he could return to the squad for the match against Bologna on November 22.

The Austrian defender must prove his fitness and convince the new coach of his ability to contribute, after Udinese signed him to benefit from his vast experience and leadership of the back line. However, he has only managed to play more than two matches for the team, totaling just 63 minutes.

According to the German newspaper "Bild", speculation has already begun regarding the possibility of David Alaba's Italian adventure coming to an early end, amid increasing doubts about his ability to overcome his physical problems, although this does not mean there is an official decision to part ways with him or terminate his contract.