Cristiano Ronaldo's injury analysis

Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid were relieved to hear on Friday that the injury he suffered against Villarreal on Wednesday was not due to his hamstring.

Instead, it was revealed that the problem was located in the vastus lateralis on his right thigh, a much less serious area of the body and an injury which shouldn't present too much trouble for the player.He will miss the game against Rayo Vallecano but should be available for selection against Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night, although the muscle problems could persist.Ronaldo played virtually the whole 90 minutes against the Yellow Submarine and gingerly left the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu pitch hobbling to the dressing room.The Portuguese forward went to Sanitas La Moraleja to be subjected to medical attention and after he left the clinic 45 minutes later with the test results, the 31-year-old went to consult with Real coach Zinedine Zidane and club doctors. It was then decided he would not feature on Saturday.Rest Had Ronaldo played against Rayo the risk of a muscle rupture would've been severe. Hence, Zidane will call upon his other attacking options to continue his fight for his first league title as a coach. He's persuaded Ronaldo to rest well in preparation for the game against City instead and on Saturday, the striker will continue his recovery as Madrid supporters around the world continue to hold their breath.