Ghanaian star Michael Essien has given Real Madrid a massive boost after returning to training on Thursday which means he will be available for the Champions League semi finals last this month.
Coach Jose Mourinho breathed a sigh of relief afterà as doctors revealed that the versatile player only suffered a small muscle injury.
The 30-year-old asked to be substituted during Tuesday's Champions League match against Galatasaray which sparked fears of a long-term injury especially when he is still recovering from two serious knee surgeries.
After an initial examination, Real Madrid doctors ruled out a serious injury withà the recovery period approximately ten days,à allowing him to be available for the semi-finals on April 23-24.
Essien started training on Thursday but did not train with the group alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Kaka, Gonzalo Higuan and Fabio Coentrao.
Essien picked up a slight injury problem during Madridââ¬â¢s Uefa Champions League defeat at Galatasary on Tuesday and it was widely feared he could be sidelined for a number of weeks.
But GHANAsoccernet.com revealed on Thursday morning the injury of the combative midfielder was not serious and expected to be fit for their Champions League semi-final games.
The Ghanaian international resumed training on Thursday afternoon to boost the Madrid ahead of the remaining matches in the Spanish League and more crucially the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The former Lyon enforcer is Ghanaââ¬â¢s sole representative in the Europeââ¬â¢s elite-inter club competition after Kwadwo Asamoahââ¬â¢s Juventus crashed out of the competition.