Luka Modric not expected to return until next month

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric will reportedly not return to first-team training until next month at the earliest.

The Croatian has been on the sidelines since November with a thigh injury, but claimed in December that he would return to action in February.

According to Marca, however, the 29-year-old, who underwent an operation to repair the problem, is still around three weeks from returning to light training with Los Blancos.

Modric's presence in the heart of the Real Madrid midfield has been missed in recent months, with Sami Khedira and Asier Illarramendi both struggling to fill the former Tottenham Hotspur playmaker's shoes.