Real´s Diarra to undergo arthroscopic surgery

Real Madrid's Mali international Mahamadou Diarra will undergo arthroscopic surgery, in which a scope with a miniature camera is inserted through a tiny incision and surgeons operate through other tiny cuts, on his right knee on Monday, the club said Saturday.

“After undergoing several tests following Sunday's training session, during which Mahamadou Diarra felt severe pain in his right knee, it has been decided that he will have arthroscopic surgery next Monday,” it said in a statement posted on its Internet site.

The operation will be carried out at Madrid's La Moraleja Hospital, it added.

Surgeons can use arthroscopic surgery on damaged cartilage surfaces on a bone's ends and flush out bone chips.

The procedure allows for quicker healing than traditional surgery, but it can still trigger blood clots, infection and nerve or blood vessel damage.

Spanish sports daily Marca said on Wednesday that the 27-year-old defensive midfielder could be sidelined for between two to six months.

The reigning Spanish champions have struggled this season, in part due to a steady stream of injuries suffered by key players, and currently lie in fourth place, six points behind leaders Barcelona.

The club on Thursday presented its new signing, Dutch international striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, seen as a replacement for Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is out until the end of the season after a knee operation.