Nuri Sahin To (Finally) Rejoin Real Madrid Within Two Weeks

Well, normally I hate international breaks: they're boring, tend to injure players, and just sort of stop the normal proceeding of the season. Last time Real Madrid went on break, Mesut Özil was playing some of the best soccer I've ever seen; when he came back he seemed tired, in a funk.

But hey, this break might be different! Nuri Sahin, the long-injured, often-overlooked bargain signing of the summer market will be using the break to work his way back into shape, after having been given the official medical go-ahead. Sahin hasn't played since last April, so he'll have some serious work to do to get into match shape: José Mourinho confirmed in the same report that he expects Sahin to officially rejoin the squad "within 15 days."

Initially there was a lot of hype surrounding Sahin, especially after his sublime season with German champions Borussia Dortmund; but talk of his eventual Real Madrid debut was stymied after he suffered a knee injury during preseason. Since then, Real Madrid has seen a substantial amount of upheaval in the central midfield, with Xabi Alonso, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Özil the only mainstays.

I'm really excited to finally watch Nuri play. But I guess I shouldn't say that, considering that I might jinx him (I think I might be responsible for his last injury for the same reason...)