Raul hoping to recover in time to lead Spain in World Cup

Real Madrid and Spain captain Raul says he is hopeful he will be able to recover from a serious knee injury in time to help his club win a trophy this season and lead his country at next year's World Cup.

Club doctors said on Tuesday they planned to follow a "conservative" programme of treatment to deal with a partially torn cruciate ligament and cartilage damage in his left knee.

"There was a moment in which I thought I would be out for a very long time," the striker told a news conference on Tuesday. "That still may happen, but the probability is that I will be back in a much shorter period."

"At the moment there are no dates set, but it might take three or four months to see how the knee responds, but I can see myself helping Real win a trophy and then playing in the World Cup."

Raul sustained the injury when he miscued a shot as the ball squirted off the pitch during his side's 3-0 defeat by arch-rivals Barcelona at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

The striker, who was scheduled to have made his 100th appearance in the Champions League against Olympique Lyon on Wednesday, said he was now keen to get on with his recovery programme.

"With hard work and sacrifice I can get over these injuries and I will be working every day to ensure that I get back as soon as possible. Surgery has been ruled out for the moment and I will be aiming to recover by the traditional method."

The 28-year-old international, whose wife gave birth to twins last week, said he was trying to look on the bright side after sustaining what was the most serious injury of his career.

"You have to take the positives out of an experience like this," he said. "I will have more time to spend with my children for example and I'm confident I'll be back in three or four months."

"I have received lots of messages of support and although I felt bad yesterday morning they have helped to pick me up."

Club doctor Alfonso del Corral outlined the treatment programme that the striker would follow.

"Injuries like these are very complicated, fortunately we believe that he won't need to undergo surgery," he said. "We've consulted with specialists to evaluate the situation and believe that the player can recover without an operation."

"We will try and strengthen the muscles around the knee and reduce the inflammation and pain."