Real may sign replacement for injured Ruud

Real Madrid may sign a new striker to fill the gap left by Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is out for the season after having knee surgery, the Spanish club's coach Bernd Schuster said Friday.

“I am not saying it is necessary but of course with Ruud out, if there is any opportunity we will make the most of it,” he told reporters.

“Ruud's loss will make us more attentive to the market. Someone important could come who can help us,” the German coach added.

Van Nistelrooy underwent an operation on his right knee in the United States this week and is expected to be sidelined for between six and nine months.

The 32-year-old former Manchester United player, the top scorer in the 2006-07 Spanish league season with 25 goals in 37 matches, picked up the injury during a 2-1 Champions League defeat at Juventus in October.

“It is a big blow for us. But our big problem is not so much scoring goals as avoiding conceding a lot. We all want him back but we have to move on,” said Schuster.

Spanish media have named Zenit St Petersburg star Andrei Arshavin, one of the stars of the Euro 2008 finals, as a likely recruit and the 27-year-old has shown his interest in joining the club.

“How could I not want to go to Real Madrid, it's a great team, one of the best,” he said in a interview published Wednesday in Spanish sports daily AS.

AS said on Tuesday that Real want to sign the Russian on a six-month loan from January. The Spanish champions would then negotiate the purchase of the striker with Zenit, based on his performance during those six months, it said.

Real would be unable to play Arshavin in the Champions League however as he has already turned out for Zenit in the competition this season.