Portuguese defender Fabio Coentrao has claimed that a series of injuries made it difficult for him to secure a regular position in the Real Madrid team.

The left-back ended a four-year stay with Real in the summer when he joined AS Monaco on a season-long loan but, as it stands, will return to the Bernabeu at the end of this season.

Coentrao has insisted that his time in Spain was far from a failure, but has admitted that he could have "contributed more to the team".

"Maybe I lacked a little confidence, but let's not forget that there was a lot of competition," he told Marca.

"I played a lot but I think I could've played more and contributed more to the team. I also had bad luck with injuries at certain points of the season, which always interrupted my ability to compete."

Coentrao, 27, has made four league appearances for Monaco this season.