Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain returned to light training on Wednesday for the first time since undergoing an operation on his back.
Higuain has been sidelined since November due to a herniated disc, for which he went under the knife in the United States in January.
A statement on the club's website said: "The striker worked out on the pitch today for the first time since his surgery and did ball work.
"Higuain will be subjected to diagnostic tests in the coming weeks prior to starting the stage in which he will gradually rejoin the squad."
The doctor who performed the surgery, Dr Richard Fessler, said at the time the 23-year-old Argentina international was likely to be sidelined for up to four months and would not be 100% recovered for a year.
It remains to be seen if Higuain will be able to play any part in the current campaign for Madrid, with the Primera Division season scheduled to finish on the weekend of May 22 and the Champions League final, if Jose Mourinho's men get that far, to be played on May 28.
Higuain was Madrid's leading scorer in La Liga in the last two seasons and had netted seven times in this campaign before being sidelined.
