There had been reports that midfield pair Valverde and Tchouameni came to blows in a heated practice session that resulted in the Uruguayan going to hospital.

Valverde issued a statement admitting that there was a "disagreement" but denied coming to physical blows but did issue an apology to the club and supporters.

The statement said: "I had an incident with a teammate as a result of a play during training, where the fatigue from competition and frustration make everything bigger than it is.

"In a normal locker room, these things can happen and are resolved among ourselves without becoming public. Obviously here there is someone behind all this who rushed to tell the story, added to a season without titles where Madrid is always the center of attention and everything gets magnified.

"We had another disagreement. During the argument I accidentally hit a table, causing myself a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital.

"At no point has my teammate hit me, nor have I hit him, although I understand that for you it may have been easier to believe that we beat each other up or that it was intentional, but that did not happen.

"I feel that my anger about the situation, my frustration at seeing that some of us are reaching the end of the season running on our last bit of energy, breaking ourselves mentally, led me to the point of arguing with a teammate.

"I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry because the situation hurts me, the moment we are going through hurts me. Madrid is one of the most important things in my life and I can't stay indifferent.

"The result is an accumulation of things that end up in a meaningless argument, damaging my image and leaving room for people to invent, slander, and exaggerate an accident, which I have no doubt about.

"Any clashes we may have on the pitch stop existing once we step off it, and if I have to defend him inside a stadium, I'll be the first to do so.

"I wasn't going to speak until the end of the season. We were eliminated from the Champions League and I kept my anger and resentment to myself. We wasted another year and I didn't feel like making posts on social media when the only face I had to show was on the pitch, and I feel that's what I did.

"That's why it pains and saddens me the most to go through this situation, which prevents me from playing the next match due to medical decisions, because I have always gone until the end, to the very last consequences, and it hurts me more than anyone not to be able to do so.

"I am at the club's and my teammates' disposal to cooperate with any decision they consider necessary."