Real step up hunt for defender
Helguera is now out of Spain's friendly squad for the game against Hungary, but he is set for an exploratory operation on his knee that could decide the future of a number of other players.
Ivan Campo for one is likely to give his future serious thought, having eventually seemingly been swayed by the lure of Bolton Wanderers and Sam Allardyce, he could feel he has been given another chance.
Monaco's Rafael Marquez is another that could benefit from the situation - with Real coach Vicente Del Bosque impressed by the player and the Mexican looking to leave The Principality.
Brazilian international Lucio was also hotly tipped to move to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and his name will certainly continue to be linked with Real.
Fernando Hierro, Helguera and Francisco Pavon were going to be the players Real were going to go into the season with at centre back, with Ruben filling in when necessary. However, if Helguera is out for any extended period of time, this could well see a change in policy.
Not only that but Ronaldo's transfer to Spain, definitely on or off depending on which country's media you believe, could be put on hold as sporting director Jorge Valdano and his team look for new recruits elsewhere in the two weeks remaining until the transfer deadline.
