Mendy to rejoin Real Madrid group training this week

Ferland Mendy will rejoin Real Madrid's group training this week, the club confirmed, marking his first involvement with team sessions in nearly six months after a ruptured proximal tendon in his right quadriceps forced him off in the Copa del Rey final on April 26. The 30 year old underwent surgery days later and has been on an extended rehabilitation programme as Real Madrid prepare for a run of fixtures that includes La Liga visits to Getafe this weekend, a Champions League tie with Juventus and El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu on October 26.

Mendy will be eased back into team work with a gradual increase in group exercises designed to limit the risk of recurrence, club staff said. He missed the final month of Carlo Ancelotti's tenure and has not yet trained under new head coach Xabi Alonso. Medical staff currently expect he will require further weeks of conditioning before he is match ready.

Mendy's return comes into a left back group that has been reshaped over the summer. Álvaro Carreras, signed from Benfica for around 50 million euros, has been the regular starter since arriving, while Fran García has provided additional cover. The presence of three senior left sided...