Injury forces Morata to miss El Clasico

Real's in-form striker suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Spain.

Morata played the final 26 minutes of Spain's friendly against England earlier this week, having been withdrawn three days earlier with a right foot injury in a World Cup qualifier against Macedonia. Julen Lopetegui's risky use of the player may have hurt Morata.

After being examined at the hospital on November 17, Real's medical department confirmed that Morata had suffered a muscle injury near his hamstring. This injury requires treatment and recovery time of up to a month.

Morata will have to sit out the match just when Real need to break through. Photo: Reuters

During that month, Morata will miss a series of important matches for Real. Most notably, the Madrid derby with Atletico this weekend and the El Clasico with Barca in half a month.

Losing Morata is a big loss for Real. While Benzema is playing inconsistently, Morata is the team's most prolific striker at the moment.

Up front, Ronaldo is also not in the same form as last season. Real has become more dependent on Gareth Bale and the scoring ability of the two back lines.

Besides Morata, Real also has Toni Kroos who is recovering from an injury after the international break. On the contrary, Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos are preparing to return to play after recovering from injuries.

According to VNE