Sneijder handed Real Sunday return

Dutch international Wesley Sneijder has recovered from a knee injury earlier than expected and will play for Real Madrid at Espanyol on Sunday, coach Bernd Schuster said Saturday.

“It’s impossible to stop him, if I do not call him he will shoot me twice. Watching Wesley train these past ten days is frightening, he has recovered perfectly. It’s impossible not to call him, he is working very well,” he said.

“I will give Sneijder minutes, we will see how many, but at least 45,” he added.

The 24-year-old midfielder had been expected to be out for at least three months after being injured in a pre-season friendly against Arsenal in August.

“I became really tired of watching matches on television. I can’t stand to see one more match from the sofa,” the Dutchman told sports daily Marca.

Sneijder, who scored nine goals in Real’s march to the title last term in his first season at the club after leaving Ajax, has undergone intensive orthopaedic treatment since picking up his injury.

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has also included him in his squad for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Iceland and Norway.