Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster insists they do not need to sign a replacement for Mahamadou Diarra.

Real are losing the Mali international for this month's African Nations Cup and Schuster says: "I have several possibilities, but I believe that Fernando Gago has won this opportunity. He has worked hard and he is the player most similar to Diarra.

"He has less physical presence, because no matter how much they criticize Diarra, he is a security wall so that ahead of him there are five creative players who dedicate themselves to looking for goals. But Gago will give us more creativity.

"But yes, we will miss Diarra this month and his loss is more important than what it seems."