Real Madrid will be without the services of attacking midfielder Dani Parejo for at least three weeks, reports said on Sunday.

Parejo only returned to the club from a loan spell with English team Queens Park Rangers at the start of the January transfer window and has yet to make his first team debut.

Now that debut will be delayed until the end of January following a training ground clash with his teammate Guti on Friday.

Swelling around the knee made it difficult to gage the extent of the damage to Parejo's knee at that time, but according to sports paper Marca, he will be out for up to a month.

Parejo has not damaged his ligaments, but has a twisted knee and won't be able to move it for around 10 days. He will then be able to begin a slow recovery process.

Real Madrid has suffered a plague of knee injuries to its players in the current campaign. Striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and midfielder Mahamadou Diarra are both out for the entire season after needing surgery on knee ligament problems.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2009)