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The Portuguese has been operated on his right ankle

Real Madrid centre-back Pepe has undergone surgery on Wednesday morning and could be out of action for as long as a month.

The capital club caught the Spanish Press by surprise this morning by announcing that the defender has undergone a procedure in Porto to alleviate discomfort in his right ankle.

Pepe had undergone several medical tests on the injury in recent days and the best course of action has been decided as surgery.

The Portuguese international was suspended for the weekend's match against Real Sociedad anyway, but will now face a longer spell out of the team in recovery.

Early speculation is that the procedure will take around four weeks for full recovery from, with the 29-year-old targeting the Champions League Last 16 clash with Manchester United for a comeback.