Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno is adamant that the club will not rush Cristiano Ronaldo back into action too soon.

Butragueno, who had a stellar playing career with Real himself, stressed the importance of taking things slowly after the star midfielder was given the all-clear to resume full training after spending seven weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Speaking to Marca the director said "I feel that Cristiano wants to play now and that enthusiasm can be detrimental because a relapse would be scary.

"We must go slowly, Cristiano has had many days without training. It's not enough that the ankle is good but it must have the necessary reinforcement to compete.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a great professional, he is a winner and has a commitment to the club and does everything possible to return, but when he returns he cannot have a relapse."

Butragueno also suggested that the absence of Ronaldo from Los Merengues lineup for seven weeks was always likely to have an effect, and added that Barcelona would suffer a similar loss if Lionel Messi were injured.

"Cristiano is one of the best players in the world and it's normal for a team to notice his absence for so long. Barcelona is compact and mature, but if, suddenly, for seven weeks they did not have Messi, it is logical that they would notice too," he remarked.

The Vulture, as he was nicknamed, played over 340 games for Real between 1984-1995 scoring over 120 goals and helping them win five league titles - a record that established him as one of the club's greatest ever strikers.