Ruud van Nistelrooy is set to miss the rest of the Primera Liga season due to a knee injury. Van Nistelrooy travelled to the United States this week to see specialist Dr Richard Steadman, the same surgeon who operated on Irish international Steven Reid last week.
After undergoing an exploratory operation on his injured right knee to determine the extent of the problem, it has been decided the Dutchman will now need surgery.
Madrid said in a statement on their website: "The estimated time he will be out is from six to nine months, depending on the recovery."
The knee is the same one that Steadman operated on in 2000 when Van Nistelrooy suffered ligament damage while at PSV Eindhoven.
The 32-year-old Van Nistelrooy had been hoping the latest problem would only keep him sidelined for a couple of months at most, but today's confirmation that he will need surgery means he will now almost certainly miss the remainder of the season.
The Madrid statement confirmed: "Following an exploratory arthroscopic operation on Wednesday, it was determined that Ruud van Nistelrooy had a partially torn meniscus in his right knee.
"Real Madrid's medical staff, Dr Steadman and the player decided to surgically repair the damaged knee."
