Woodgate unlikely to play before Christmas

Real Madrid’s Jonathan Woodgate is unlikely to be fit before Christmas according to the club doctor Alfonso del Correl.

Woodgate’s troublesome thigh injury has now been examined at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in the United States, and specialist John Bergfeld told club doctors the England defender would not need surgery.

However, he will be sidelined for around 10 weeks, meaning that a debut for Real Madrid before the Christmas break is unlikely.

“These 10 weeks are the time we estimate will be necessary to guarantee proper healing of the scar in the injury,” del Correl told the club’s official website.