Left-back has not featured since going off in the Copa del Rey final in April
Ferland Mendy is close to returning to team training with Real Madrid after nearly six months on the sidelines with a serious thigh injury.
The French defender has not featured since he had surgery after going off injured during the Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona in April.
The initial recovery timeline suggested was around three months, but setbacks have since extended his spell out of action.
Mendy is now expected to rejoin parts of first-team training this week as Madrid carefully reintegrate him into the squad. The left-back will work with club staff to slowly build his fitness and avoid a recurrence of the problem.
New manager Xabi Alonso has not yet worked with Mendy but his side have hardly missed the player, with €50m summer signing Alvaro Carreras impressing and establishing himself as first-choice left-back.
Madrid also has Fran Garcia as an option at left-back. Indeed, the 26-year-old impressed at the Club World Cup but has been relegated to a bit-part role given Carreras’ form. He has played only twice in eight league games this season, one of those being as a substitute.
