Real Madrid's Woodgate missing until February

Real Madrid fans may not see summer signing Jonathan Woodgate in action until February.

The England defender has been recovering from a long-standing thigh injury since joining Real at the start of the season from Newcastle United.

Woodgate's case has been taken up by the sports medicine fraternity and so complicated is his injury that Real staff will not give him the green light to resume full-blown training until after being given the go-ahead by five international experts from Germany, Sweden, the United States and France.

The defender was due to be back mid-October, but aggravated the thigh injury at the start of last month in a bounce game.