MADRID (AP) — Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga played their first minutes of the season for Real Madrid after recovering from injuries, appearing as late substitutes in a 2-0 win over Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday.

Bellingham hadn’t played for Madrid since the Club World Cup in the United States, after which he underwent an operation on his left shoulder on July 16.

The England midfielder had been nursing the shoulder injury since 2023 but was delaying the surgery to avoid missing time with Madrid and England.

He missed the first four games of La Liga as well as Madrid’s Champions League opener. Madrid won all of them without him.

The shoulder operation also kept Bellingham out of two World Cup qualifiers, both won by England, in September.

Camavinga, a France midfielder, was subbed on at the same time as Bellingham to loud applause from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd. He had not played this season due to an ankle injury.

“It is great news for both of them and for the team. We need them,” coach Xabi Alonso said. “They are elite players and given the number of games we play, we need everyone to be available.”

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