Morientes to have groin operation

Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes will be out of action until the start of next season after opting to have surgery on a persistent groin injury.

"Fernando Morientes will undergo an operation on Monday or Wednesday," said Alfonso del Corral, chief of the medical staff at the club.

Morientes, who will now miss the world club championship, had decided two weeks ago against an operation in a bid to help his team's run-in to the end of the season.

The Spanish international had been receiving intensive physiotherapy, but broke down after just 29 minutes of Sunday's 2-2 draw against Espanyol.

With Real out of the Champions League but enjoying a six-point lead in the Spanish Liga, with four matches to play, Morientes's presence in the team was no longer thought to be vital.

Del Corral said the player, manager Vicente Del Bosque and himself had talked the matter over at the end of Sunday's match and decided surgery was the best course of action. "We have exhausted all the other possibilities and the operation remains the only option now open to us," Del Corral said.

"It is clear he is not recovering and it is better to have the operation rather than for him to keep breaking down as at present."

Morientes, who has missed 12 of the 34 league games through injury, is likely to be out of action for between two and three months. He will be unable to play in the world club championship which begins in Spain at the end of July.