Albiol knee surgery went 'perfectly', says Napoli

Napoli's Raul Albiol has had to have surgery on a persistent knee condition, but the club believes the operation was a complete success.

Napoli defender Raul Albiol

Raul Albiol's surgery on his injured left knee went "perfectly", according to Napoli.

The Spain international centre-back, who suffers from tendinopathy of the knee, has not featured since Napoli's 0-0 draw at AC Milan on January 26.

There had been suggestions he was set to miss the rest of the season, but reports generally claim his absence is likely to be in the region of six weeks.

Albiol, 33, travelled to London to undergo the operation and Napoli understands everything went as well as it could have hoped.

A statement released on Tuesday read: "Raul Albiol underwent surgery to clean the patellar tendon of the left knee this morning at the Princess Grace Hospital in London.

"The surgery was perfectly successful. In the coming days the recovery time will be assessed."

Among the games Albiol is expected to miss are both Europa League matches against Zurich, as well as the Serie A clash with rival and league leader Juventus at the start of March.