Real Madrid defenders Raphael Varane
and Fabio Coentrao stepped up their
recuperation from injury as they began
training with the rest of the squad, the
club announced on Wednesday.
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Varane hasn't been involved in first-team action
since suffering a lateral meniscus injury in his left
knee that required surgery back in May.
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The 20-year-old French international's recovery has
taken a lot longer than the original four to six weeks
anticipated by the club's medical staff, but he could
now feature before the end of the month.
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Coentrao, meanwhile, also hasn't played for Madrid
under new coach Carlo Ancelotti after asking to leave
the club before the end of the transfer window earlier
this month.
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A move for the 25-year-old never materialised and he
then picked up a thigh injury when on international
duty with Portugal last week.
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However, Coentrao could now start against Getafe on
Saturday as Marcelo is also currently sidelined with a
muscular problem.
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Gareth Bale also took an active part in the session on
Wednesday after making his Champions League
debut for Real in the 6-1 thrashing of Galatasaray on
Tuesday night.
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The Welshman was introduced as a substitute by
Ancelotti with half an hour to play and he made a
significant contribution as it was from his free-kick
that Cristiano Ronaldo smashed home his second
and Madrid's fourth of the evening before the
Portuguese went onto complete his 23rd career hat trick
These are key players for Real Madrid so they can't afford to get injured again anytime soon. Good news