Coach Jose Mourinho isn't counting on striker Gonzalo Higuain recovering from back surgery in time to make a difference to Real Madrid's season.
Higuain underwent surgery on Tuesday and Mourinho said on Wednesday the experience of John Terry's recovery from a similar operation while at Chelsea meant he wasn't expecting any miracles.
"In two months Higuain will be training, in two more playing, but he won't reach 100 percent before next season," Mourinho said. "It's what I expected. I wasn't counting on him for this season, so I can't be disappointed."
Higuain, who has scored 10 goals in 18 appearances this season, was expected to be sidelined for about four months.
Mourinho didn't sound as if he was expecting any January transfer miracles, either, as he again hinted to management that reinforcements were necessary but insisted he was not "at war" with the club over the issue.
"The majority of great teams have a lot of strikers. Arsenal have up to five center forwards. Look at Milan, they have (Zlatan Ibrahimovic), Robinho, Pato but we have only (Karim) Benzema now," he said. "But that's the way it is. There's no perfect squad."
Mourinho also downplayed the scenes from Sunday's 4-2 win against Villarreal at Santiago Bernabeu. Villarreal midfielder Cani was red-carded for throwing a water bottle at Mourinho, who celebrated the final goal in front of his opponent's bench.
Mourinho was pleased the card had been rescinded so the Spanish player avoided a ban.
"There's no problem, it wasn't an aggressive act. It was just another action by those who think that everything I do has a negative connotation," Mourinho said.
Mourinho, who was named world coach of the year on Monday for guiding Inter Milan to a treble last season, did not say whether Kaka would play in Thursday's Copa del Rey first-leg quarterfinal against city rival Atletico Madrid. But the Brazil playmaker has featured in three straight games since returning from injuries that sidelined him since the World Cup, and his coach said he had improved with each appearance off the substitutes' bench.
