Real Madrid Possible thigh tear for Frenchman

Varane puts in forgettable performance

Raphael Varane was forced out of Real Madrid's 2-1 loss to Valencia on Wednesday and club doctors are now under the impression that the defender has torn his left thigh muscle.

Replaced by Nacho Fernandez on the 73rd minute, the Frenchman's injury had initially been put down to fatigue given his constant first-team action since the turn of the year.

However, now Zinedine Zidane is looking likely to have to prepare for games with Villarreal, Las Palmas, Eibar, and Napoli without Varane.

One man who could benefit from this, in the short and medium-term, is Pepe.

The Portuguese international has been edging closer to the exit door as a switch to China beckons but Zidane is still planning on keeping the veteran among the first-team before his contract is up in the summer.

Pepe is expected to start against Villarreal on Sunday and some in Madrid haven't ruled out his chances of penning a new deal for next season.

As for Varane, a torn thigh muscle of this magnitude generally has a minimum recovery period of two weeks and Real will aim to confirm the centre-back's status on Friday as inflammation of the area has delayed their ability to carry out proper tests.