Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has paid tribute to the performance of Isco in Sunday's 2-1 victory at Malaga.

Isco opened the scoring against his former club before assisting Casemiro in the second period as Los Blancos ensured that they would return to third position in La Liga with all three points.

There is still believed to be tension between Zidane and Isco following quotes from the attacker while on Spain duty, but the Los Blancos manager was delighted with the 25-year-old's performance at the weekend.

"I'm happy with how he played and with his goal. He had a great match and I'm happy for him and the team. He deserves [the praise]. He was important for Malaga and he was today for Madrid," Zidane told reporters.

Isco has scored eight goals and registered nine assists in 44 appearances for Madrid during the 2017-18 campaign.