Real Madrid confirm neck sprain for midfielder Dani Ceballos after hospital trip

Real Madrid have provided an update on the condition of summer signing Dani Ceballos after the midfielder was taken to hospital following Spain's Under-21 clash with Italy on Friday evening (1 September).

Captain Ceballos was replaced by Manchester City's Brahim Diaz in the 83rd minute of a comfortable 3-0 friendly victory at the Estadio Salto del Caballo in Toledo. Spanish publication AS subsequently reported that he had been transported to hospital in an ambulance on a stretcher and in a neck collar after suffering from vomiting and dizziness.

That obviously caused no shortage of concern, although thankfully the issue does not appear to be as serious as first feared.

Real Madrid released a statement on Saturday morning to reiterate Spain's earlier announcement that tests undertaken at the Hospital Virgen de la Salud had revealed a light neck sprain.

Ceballos, who tweeted to say that luckily the concerning episode was just a scare, will be monitored over the next 48 hours and is set to travel to Las Rozas.

The 21-year-old is a new arrival at Real, having joined the reigning La Liga and European champions from Real Betis in a €17m (£15.5m, $20.1m) deal in July despite also being subject to long-running interest from fierce rivals Barcelona.

Los Blancos paid a sum above his release clause to secure the capture of a highly-rated young talent who claimed player of the tournament honours at the Under-21 European Championship in Poland earlier this summer after spearheading Spain's run to the final.

Ceballos, whose release clause at the Santiago Bernabeu has been set at an eye-watering €500m, made his debut for Real last month as a late replacement for Toni Kroos during the second leg of their hugely satisfying 5-1 aggregate Spanish Super Cup defeat of Barcelona.

He has been left as an unused substitute by Zinedine Zidane in opening league fixtures against Deportivo La Coruna and Valencia, although did start and feature for 72 minutes of a win over Serie A outfit Fiorentina in the 38th edition of the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy that commemorated the 60th anniversary of the 1957 European Cup final.

Fifth-place Real welcome Levante to Madrid next before beginning their quest for a third successive Champions League title with a home match against Cypriot champions APOEL. They then face Real Sociedad before taking on Ceballos' former employers, Betis, on 20 September.