Raphael Varane misses Real Madrid training ahead of Sevilla as Gareth Bale remains on the sidelines

Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane has handed Zinedine Zidane a new concern ahead of the coming clash with Sevilla on Sunday (14 May) after missing Friday's workout. The France international has been hit by different injury problems in recent weeks and it looks uncertain whether he will be available to help his side in their bid to keep the pressure on Barcelona at the top of La Liga table when Jorge Sampaoli's side visit the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 24-year-old defender enjoyed an impressive start to the season, being the first-choice to partner Sergio Ramos in the heart of the defence ahead of Pepe and Nacho. However, the France international has struggled since suffering a grade-two muscle strain in his left hamstring during a 2-1 defeat to Valencia on 18 February.

Varane returned six weeks later in a game against Alaves on 2 April, but suffered a recurrence of the injury and only lasted 10 minutes in the pitch.

He came back again on 26 April to help his side to beat Deportivo la Coruna before playing also the 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.

However, Real Madrid missed the last weekend's victory over Granada after Zidane revealed in the preview of the game that the France international had suffered another setback.

"Varane felt something again but it's nothing serious, we just don't want to take any risks with a player who's feeling discomfort," Zidane revealed in the press conference ahead of the trip to Granada.

This time it looked his absence was only a precautionary measure as Varane returned to action days later to play the second leg of the semi-finals against Atletico Madrid which saw Real Madrid make the final with a 4-2 on aggregate.

However, Real Madrid have now sparked new concerns ahead of the Sunday's trip to Sevilla after revealing that the France international was unable to train with the rest of his available teammates on Friday.

"Real Madrid returned to training in preparation for their match against Sevilla, which will be played this Sunday (8:00pm CEST) at the Santiago Bernabéu. Varane trained using the indoor facilities while Bale and Carvajal continue with their recovery processes," Los Blancos confirmed in the club official website.

Real Madrid have failed to explain the reasons behind his absence from the workout but even if it's only a precautionary measure Zidane may consider to give him a rest against Sevilla. Nevertheless, Pepe is expected to be back following more than a month on the sidelines while Nacho also can fill the gap.

Los Blancos will be looking to secure the three points against Sevilla to keep the pressure on Barcelona in the battle for La Liga.

Zidane's side are currently second in the table due to the head-to-head records but have a match in hand, meaning that they will beat Barcelona for the title if they win their three games remaining against Sevilla themselves, Celta Vigo and Malaga.