Álex Pastor returns after 348 days sidelined by injury

Great news for Málaga CF and its supporters, despite the defeat in the Ceuta City Trophy: Álex Pastor returned to competitive action after 348 days on the sidelines. The defender played 36 minutes on Friday against AD Ceuta at the Alfonso Murube Stadium, almost exactly a year after suffering a severe knee injury.

Pastor ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscus on August 27 during a training session. The triple injury ruled him out for the entire previous Segunda División season. He rejoined team training on July 13, but his repeated absences in preseason—he was not even called up against Leicester City or Al-Ittihad—had raised questions about his availability.

When he took the field in the second half alongside Fernando Calero, he showed promising moments: solid defensive reads and long passes that gave reliability to the build-up from defence. He also made errors typical of a player lacking competitive rhythm after nearly a year out. According to Sport, the plan is for him to gain minutes gradually to avoid the muscle setbacks common after such injuries. With Atlético Madrid, Deportivo de A Coruña and Real Madrid coming up soon in Málaga's Primera División campaign, there will be little time for extended rehabilitation work.