Hamstring injury rules out Real Madrid's Morata

Real Madrid have suffered an important injury setback with loss of striker Alvaro Morata to a hamstring problem with the vital and possibly season defining local derby against local rivals Atletico and the "El Clasico" against FC Barcelona just around the corner.

The club has confirmed that Morata suffered a torn hamstring while playing against England on Tuesday night and that he could be out of action for up to a month, reports Xinhua.

The official Real Madrid said the striker has a "grade 2" muscle tear, that means he will miss Saturday's trip to the Vicente Calderon Stadium to face Atletico as well as the vital Champions League trip to Sporting Lisbon the following week.

Real Madrid will then play Sporting Gijon in a Spanish league match and have the return leg of their King's Cup tie against Cultural Leon before the trip to the Camp Nou Stadium to play Barcelona on December 3.

Morata has been in fine form since returning to Madrid from Juventus in the summer, scoring eight goals in just over 800 minutes of football. A poll in Spanish sports publication Diario AS showed that most Madrid fans would prefer to see him in the starting line-up ahead of striker Karim Benzema..

His injury comes at a time when Real have also suffered the loss of Tony Kroos with a broken bone in his foot, while Pepe, Benzema and Casemiro are all doubtful for the Atletico game.

--IANS

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