Real Madrid have reportedly been handed a boost as it’s suggested that there is good news on Marco Asensio’s condition and fitness after he returned to training this week.
The 24-year-old has yet to feature this season after he suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in pre-season last July, as he has been forced to spend the entire campaign thus far in rehabilitation and working on his recovery.
While the coronavirus lockdown may have complicated his bid to return as it perhaps limited his ability to meet with the medical staff and work at the club’s facilities, it appears as though boss Zinedine Zidane has been handed some good news this week as training has been stepped up ahead of a possible restart of the La Liga season.
According to AS, after three days of training, Asensio is said to be working at the same rate as his teammates, and that in turn has left the coaching staff surprised and feeling positive about his condition as they await the official word on when fixtures will be played.
It’s suggested that it could be a timely boost too as with Luka Jovic currently sidelined with an injury issue of his own, Asensio could provide Los Blancos with an alternative option up front as Zidane is open to the idea of using him as a possible ‘false nine’ to give him a different look to Karim Benzema in the final third.
The priority for now though will be to complete his injury recovery and get minutes under his belt to prove his fitness and to get past any initial hesitancy after being sidelined for so long.
Once Asensio passes those two tests, Zidane could have a crucial piece back at his disposal for the remainder of the campaign as Real Madrid remain in the hunt for the La Liga title and Champions League as things stand, although they have their work cut out for them as they trail Barcelona and face a deficit against Man City.
As per the Guardian, the plan in Spain is to restart the season again in mid-June, and so time will tell if that timeline proves accurate and if Asensio is ready to go immediately.