Friday 29 April 2016 18:51, UK
Cristiano Ronaldo will "decide on the day" whether he fit enough to play in Real Madrid's Champions League semi-final second leg against Manchester City, says Guillem Balague.
After a 0-0 draw at the Etihad on Tuesday, which Ronaldo missed with a thigh injury, the forward is in a race against time to be fit for Wednesday night's crucial return leg at the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo - who will sit out Saturday's league game against Real Sociedad - would be a huge miss for Real having scored 16 goals in 10 Champions League games this season, and Balague says the fact the 31-year-old has chosen to take treatment away from the club is indicative of the "medical crisis" at Real.
Spanish football expert Balague told Sky Sports: "The latest is that he has been treated by physios and doctors away from Real Madrid, which confirms the medical crisis at the club.
"Ronaldo felt he was OK in the last training session in Manchester before the semi-final draw with City on Tuesday. He sprinted, ran, did everything as usual that you do for the training session, but 10 minutes before the end he felt a sharp pain again.
"Some are saying there is no tear, others say there is. I believe there is a tear, and he wants to treat it with stem cell treatment, which could speed the healing process.
"It would still be tender, so it's a risk for certain, but the stem cell treatment could help him recover. He will decide on the day, and Zidane will follow whatever Cristiano decides."
Ronaldo's contract at Real Madrid runs out in the summer of 2018, but speculation over his future at the Bernabeu is still rife.
Balague says his future does not depend on Real's domestic and Champions League success this season, and that if figures cannot be met with other clubs, the next logical step is to negotiate a new contract with the La Liga side.
"His future does not depend on Real's success this season. Real and Cristiano have been looking at avenues to part company, but Real have not found a buyer with the money that they want, and Ronaldo hasn't found anyone with the money required for him to leave Real Madrid.
"Unless a big offer comes in, the next step will be for Real and Cristiano to agree a new contract. Zidane wants him to stay.
"There have been conversations for clubs for sure, but Manchester United have not shown enough interest to get him, and PSG have calculated that they don't have the money required. But we have to see what happens in the next few weeks."
