Zinedine Zidane heaps praise on Luka Modric after Champions League win over Atalanta

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has said that 'you wouldn't be able to tell' that midfielder Luka Modric was 35 years old just from watching him play.

Modric starred as Los Blancos advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 win over Italian side Atalanta at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, sealing the tie 4-1 on aggregate.

The former Ballon d'Or winner assisted Karim Benzema's opening goal to give Madrid total control, and Zidane, who was a half-decent playmaker himself, was full of praise for Modric and Toni Kroos in the absence of midfield anchor Casemiro.

"The two holding midfielders of Luka [Modric] and Toni [Kroos] are phenomenal. Casemiro can score goals and allows us to play differently," the Madrid boss said, as quoted by Marca.

"If you ask me about Luka...he's some player. He's 35 years old but you wouldn't be able to tell from watching him on the pitch.

"I congratulated the players because they played a great game from start to finish against a team that demands a lot, physically.

"We had to defend well, and then with the ball we can say that it was a complete game from us."

While Real have reached the last eight of the Champions League for the first time since 2018, everything is not rosy in the Spanish capital.

Sergio Ramos admitted post-game that he has does not have an update regarding contract talks, while Eden Hazard could also miss the rest of the season through injury.

Zidane was coy on what the future holds for two of Real's most important players.

"I am not a doctor, I am not the right person to say whether he [Hazard] should go under the knife or not. A decision will be made on this in the next few days. He has not been to the stadium today because he had my authorisation," Zidane said.

On Ramos, he added: "He is an important person for the team, he is a leader. But not now, as always. And he better be with us on the field, of course."

Real also sit third in La Liga, six points behind table-topping city rivals Atlético.