Real Madrid forward Lucas Vazquez steps up injury recovery ahead of Champions League final

Real Madrid forward Lucas Vazquez underwent some light training on Tuesday (17 May) in a bid to step up his recovery ahead of the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid. The news is a boost for Los Blancos manager, Zinedine Zidane, after the rest of his squad began preparation for the European encounter, which will be played in Milan in less than two weeks on 28 May.

Los Blancos secured their 12<sup>th consecutive La Liga victory in the last league game of the season against Deportivo de la Coruna on Saturday. However, the run proved to be insufficient to beat Barcelona for the title, after the Catalans sealed the trophy with a 3-0 win at Granada, ending the campaign one point ahead of their arch-enemies.

Keylor Navas, Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal and Gareth Bale returned to action in the game after overcoming various injuries, giving Zidane a fully fit squad at Riazor, with the exception of Vazquez. The 24-year-old winger picked up a medial collateral sprain in his left knee during the previous match with Valencia.

But with 11 days to go before the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid, it looks like the former Espanyol forward will be ready for the decisive encounter, after the club revealed he is already undergoing some light training on the pitch.

"The session began with some first touch combinations. The Madridistas followed this up with various possession and pressing games ending with crossing and finishing. Lucas Vázquez, who continues his recovery process, was out on the field running and having touches of the ball," the club confirmed on their official website, while adding that Zidane also "called upon Borja Mayoral, Martin Odegaard and Marcos Llorente from Real Madrid Castilla to train with the rest of the first-team players".

Vazquez received another major boost on Tuesday (17 May) morning after Vicente Del Bosque surprisingly included him in the squad for the Euro 2016 ahead of the likes of Manchester United star Juan Mata and Arsenal's Santi Cazorla.

The player became a crucial part of Zidane's tactics this season, after he was re-signed from Espanyol in the summer by former manager and current Liverpool boss, Rafa Benitez.

The Spaniard has taken advantage of the assorted absences of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo to make a total of 32 appearances at the club this term, scoring four goals and providing 10 more for his teammates, while staying ahead of the likes of James Rodriguez in the manager's pecking order.

Meanwhile, Isco - who is also in the preliminary Spanish 25-man squad for the Euro - has expressed his hopes of helping Real Madrid clinch an 11<sup>th Champions League trophy at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium.

"In Milan we are going to give everything and put our heart and soul into it for the fans. It's going to be a difficult battle but we're going in to it in great shape and with a lot of desire to reward our fans on 28 May," Isco said.

"The team are really looking forward to it and are very strong. Both teams are going in to it in their best form. Atlético are tough, they know how to read the game well, especially against teams who take the initiative, they've knocked out Barcelona and Bayern Munich. We're going to try to make as few mistakes as possible. Anything can happen. We hope that the cup will be coming back to the Bernabéu".