Vlatko Vucetic insists Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric can play into his 40s.

Vucetic is a professor at the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb and head of the Sports Diagnostic Centre, where hundreds of the country's elite athletes from 50 different specialties pass through.

Vucetic works closely with Modric, 36, and he told AS: "Each preparation has elastic bands. Muscle is elastic! For me, for you, for my father, who is 81 years old... For everyone, elastic bands are the best way to train. It is the best way to avoid injuries. If you look at Modric's last seven or eight years, he has had almost zero injuries. It's because of his preparation, because he's focused on training, focused on prevention, focused on lifestyle..."

Asked if Modric play into his 40s, Vucetic added: "By training in this way and following a nutrition plan, like Cristiano Ronaldo or (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic, Luka and other players, you can. They are footballers who really focus on their bodies."