MADRID: Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric is set to miss the rest of the year with a thigh injury, the La Liga leaders said in a statement on Monday.

Modric went off injured in the first half of Croatia’s Euro 2016 qualifier in Italy on Sunday and team doctor Boris Nemec’s initial fears that tendon damage would keep him on the sidelines for over a month have been confirmed by tests at his club.

“An examination by medical staff from Real Madrid have discovered a tear in a thigh tendon in his left leg,” Real said.

Modric, with his precise passing and fluid movement in midfield, has been a key figure in Real’s bright start to the season that sees them top La Liga with 27 points from 11 games.

The 29-year-old Modric has played in 17 of Real’s 19 games this season, forming a productive partnership with midfielder Toni Kroos. As Champions League winners, Real will play in the Club World Cup next month.

Published in Dawn, November 19th , 2014