Sami Khedira undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery, no timetable for return

Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has gone back under the knife to deal with another knee problem, less than a year after tearing both the ACL and MCL in his right knee.

The Spanish club confirmed that Khedira, 27, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee this week, opting to have the procedure while he was already sidelined with a hamstring issue.

There was no word on how long the German international will be out of action.

The news will come as a bitter disappointment to manager Carlo Ancelotti, who would have been hoping to rely heavily on Khedira this season given his lack of midfielders who are capable - or willing - to do the defensive work made necessary by the sales of Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria.

While the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will now likely be tasked with the role, they are far more equipped to be playing higher up the pitch, which has the potential to create an imbalance in the squad that will be difficult to overcome.

With such a potent attacking group, led by Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, and an already suspect defense - now likely to have little cover from the midfield - Madrid games just became an even more intriguing prospect for the neutral observer.