Brahim Diaz had been in good nick when he suffered an adductor injury last month, dealing yet another blow for Real Madrid.
Initial reports suggested that the 25-year-old Moroccan international would be out for as long as three months, which was a crushing blow considering that the versatile attacker had been influencing proceedings every time he took the field.
As such, when Brahim was spotted training on the pitch earlier this week, it was seen as a huge boost.
Reports soon suggested that the former Manchester City man was set to shorten his recovery deadline and make a comeback much sooner than anticipated earlier.
El Clasico comeback not ruled out
Building on that, AS now reports that Brahim Diaz could be back in action for Real Madrid as early as the Clasico against FC Barcelona later this month.
Real Madrid will return to action on October 19 after the international break with a game against Celta Vigo, and it will come too soon for Brahim.
However, it is not ruled out that the Moroccan ace will be back a week later when the Merengues lock horns with their arch-rivals Barça in a top-of-the-table encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu on October 26.
In fact, the report even states that there may even be a possibility that Brahim gets some minutes in the UEFA Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund (October 22) to gain some rhythm heading into El Clasico.
If so, it will be a handy boost for Carlo Ancelotti & co. considering that the Real Madrid attack has not been firing on all cylinders so far this season.
*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.