Toni Kroos reassures fans after Real Madrid midfielder is forced to withdraw from Germany squad

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has reassured fans he has not picked up a fresh injury after withdrawing from the Germany squad.

Kroos, 27, played all 90 minutes in Thursday's (5 October) World Cup qualifying victory over Northern Ireland in Belfast as Germany sealed qualification for next summer's competition in Russia.

But the German FA announced on Friday the midfielder will sit out of Sunday's final group match against Azerbaijan. Kroos also missed recent La Liga victories over Real Sociedad and Alaves with a rib problem, with the reigning world champions deciding to allow their midfielder to sit out of their dead rubber match and allow the knock to fully heal.

News of the injury initially caused concern among some Real Madrid and Germany fans but Kroos was quick to reassure he had not picked up a fresh injury and has just been handed extra time to recover from an existing problem.

Responding to a fan account on Twitter, Kroos wrote: "No new injury, don't worry. Just taking care of the rib problems that I had during the last weeks."

While Kroos would appear to suggest his issue isn't a major one, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has already been dealt two fresh blows during the international break. Gareth Bale was forced to withdraw from the Wales squad with a calf injury ahead of crucial qualifies against Georgia and Republic of Ireland.

Real Madrid have not set a time frame on Bale's recovery but reports in Spain suggests that he is going to be out of action for at least two weeks, missing the upcoming Madrid derby with Getafe and the Champions League visit of Tottenham.

Dani Carvajal, meanwhile, is expected to miss both games amid reports suggesting that the right-back could be on the sidelines for around two months due to a viral pericardium infection.

There has been some good news for the Real boss however with Karim Benzema, Marcelo and Theo Hernandez are returning to training this week.