Cristiano Ronaldo needs more rest after injury ‘fright’ as Real Madrid maintain title chase

Cristiano Ronaldo goes down holding his hamstring after sustaining an injury during Real Madrid's win over Villarreal. Juan Medina / Reuters

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he should have rested forward Cristiano Ronaldo more in recent weeks after he limped off in the 3-0 win over Villarreal on Wednesday.

Ronaldo was seen holding his right hamstring before leaving the field in the closing minutes, putting at risk his presence in Madrid’s Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg at Manchester City next week.

Zidane is confident Ronaldo will be fit to face the Premier League side, but recognised he has to take more care of the three-time World Player of the Year, who had played all but one minute of Madrid’s previous 43 Primera Liga and Champions League games.

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“He got a fright, but I don’t think it is anything serious,” Zidane said.

“We will see tomorrow (Thursday) what he has. I am calmer now than when I saw him leave the pitch.

“For a coach when you have a player like Cristiano sometimes it is necessary for him to not play a game or not finish a match.”

However, there was better news on the injury front for Zidane as he confirmed that Gareth Bale should be fit for the trip to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday after missing the visit of Villarreal with a muscle problem

“Hopefully he will train with us tomorrow and be ready for the game on Saturday,” he said.

An eighth consecutive Primera Liga victory kept Madrid a point behind leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who both also won on Wednesday, with four games of the season remaining.

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