Iker Casillas says his recovery from a broken bone in his hand goes a lot better than expected and he could possibly be back between the Real Madrid posts as soon as late March.
Casillas' hand was broken by a random end from his team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa throughout Madrid's Copa del Rey quarter-final game at the Mestalla on January 23.
It had been feared he would experience 3 months on the sidelines, and the team moved quickly to signal Diego Lopez for 3.5 million from Sevilla to play in their likely season-defining games against Barcelona in the Copa and Manchester United in the Champions League.
The Madrid club captain told reporters on Thursday morning, at the opening of a new club shop at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, that the initial timeframe had only been a worst-case scenario.
"I am feeling really positive," Casillas said. "The physician gave me the worst-case scenario, he explained 3 months it may get. But when the splint was removed yesterday, I was told I had a month left. Now I am doing active exercises to get mobility and energy back in the finger."
Casillas said he had been spending so much time at Madrid's Valdebebas training service to get back playing as soon as possible.
"Until now I have not had much energy in it, but I'm receiving it back little by little," he explained. "We have reached the halfway point of the damage. I've still got per month to go. I will have to work more and experience more to obtain back the mobility of before. I am getting excited about returning. It's worse being off the pitch than on it."
The function was also visited by Casillas' team-mates including Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria, Jose Callejon, Nacho and Kaka, while coach Jose Mourinho was missing.
Alonso told reporters that he did not know yet whether he would recover from his groin issue in time for next Tuesday's Copa semi-final second leg at Barcelona's Camp Nou.
"I am in the recovery stage," the midfielder said. "I am looking to get better as soon as possible, to have gone the discomfort and get back in top form. Plenty of people ask when I'll be ready. I aspire to manage to perform against Barca, but I do not have an answer right now."
Former Liverpool player Alonso stated that, with the tie balanced at 1-1, whoever won first in the Champions League last 16 reunite sport at Manchester United on March 5 could be favourites to progress.
"They could have the support of their fans," he explained. "It will probably be described as a challenge. Along side it that scores first is going to be favourites. Old Trafford is a good surface and it is the sort of match all of us like to play. The link is extremely open."
Di Maria said that it will fit Madrid to be playing away from home in both of the future, possibly season-defining, games.
"Things are getting well and develop to keep this way," he explained. "We know that we have to have big matches in both contests and that it will perhaps not be easy. Probably playing away is going to be inside our favor because we do well when things are against us. We've had this week to focus on the best way to approach the games. I hope everything goes well."
Benzema, who remains question for Saturday evening's La Liga sport at Deportivo La Coruna, said he wasn't focused on his recent poor form facing target.
"I trust that I score more goals than I have so far, however the thing may be the team and to win the future matches," he explained. "We need certainly to work together to win. We've a fantastic group and we're all in good form."
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