Michael Essien
Michael Essien looks to have recovered from a recent illness, as he returned to Real Madrid’s second training session of the day.
The Ghanaian has missed the previous few weeks with a mysterious ailment that was later explained by the club to have been caused by an allergic reaction to some medication.
The player even returned to parent club Chelsea in a bid to recover full fitness, but was not expected to return to first-team activity during his loan spell in Madrid until after the winter break.
However, after training apart in Thursday morning’s session, the midfielder joined his Madrid colleagues to take a full part in the afternoon workout, suggesting that he could be back sooner than anticipated.
At this time, though, it remains unclear exactly when he will be available for selection.