Woodgate injury doesn't worry Real

Real Madrid have revealed just how highly they rate Jonathan Woodgate as a long-term prospect by signing the defender despite accepting he will be out of action for at least another month.

The 24-year-old centre-half will leave Newcastle for the Spanish giants after passing a medical yesterday and will be unveiled at a press conference at the Bernabeu this lunchtime.

He has agreed a four-year deal with an option for an extra year and the fee for the England international is believed to be worth in the region of £13.4m (€19.8m).

Woodgate arrived in Madrid on Thursday night on a flight from Munich where he had a consultation with a German specialist over the thigh injury which has sidelined him since April.

He has suffered with various injuries during his time at Newcastle, playing only 37 of the 128 games the Magpies have played since his move from Leeds.

And Real doctor Juan Carlos Hernandez told Radio Marca: “The medical took more than three hours.

“Apart from a normal medical, the player arrived with a small injury for which he is still being treated and we wanted to look at it carefully. There was no other problem aside from the injury but it still requires treatment.

“We estimate that he will need another three to four weeks before he can start training with the rest of the squad.

“The injury is to the thigh muscle in his left leg and can be complicated, so we will have to give it a little time to heal.”

Woodgate joins fellow England stars David Beckham and Michael Owen at the Spanish giants.

Magpies boss Bobby Robson last night insisted Woodgate was heading for Madrid with his blessing despite admitting he did not want him to leave.

“This is an extreme, exceptional offer which basically we had to take,” he said. “The offer has come in and the player has got wind of it.

“I don’t blame Jonathan in a way because he’s going to arguably the biggest club in the world, I think, at this moment.

“The power of Figo and Ronaldo, Zidane, and then Beckham and now Owen and now Woodgate – if you were in his shoes, what would you do?

“No-one is pleased that he’s gone because we know what we’ve lost. At his best, he’s the best in the country.”