It was July 24 when Marco Asensio fell injured against Arsenal in the United States.

The Spaniard had impressed in preseason until then, and had even scored in that very game against the Premier League side until being stretchered off in the 60th minute.

Real Madrid’s worst fears were confirmed a few hours later.

Asensio has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, which required surgery, and would miss the bulk of the 2019/20 season.

Now the calendar is already showing April and the player is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after enduring eight months of his own quarantine since being operated on.

The unexpected global pandemic brought on by the coronavirus has seen him miss less of the season than he’d expected to, and he could even return to participate should this campaign ever resume.

Zinedine Zidane is happier than anyone about Asensio’s nearing return.

The Frenchman has always believed in the forward and even though he didn’t do as much as expected last season, Zidane never lost faith nor did he consider the player’s departure.

Zidane knows that he has to have patience before Asensio gets back to his very best, but he’s hopeful that he’ll be recovering a key piece to his puzzle at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.