Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has revealed that he could return to first-team training in the next "two to three weeks".

The German international has been out of action since last November after suffering a serious knee injury while on national team duty.

At the time, it had been suggested that he would miss the remainder of the season and the World Cup this summer, but the defensive midfielder has claimed that his return is close.

"It's possible that in two to three weeks I'll be able to train normally with the team. I have a very deep inner optimism, but I refuse to put pressure on myself," he told ZDF Sportstudio.

Khedira moved to Madrid from Stuttgart in 2010.