Aurelien Tchouameni apologises to Real Madrid fans for 'not doing the right thing' while missing a game

Aurelien Tchouameni has apologised to Real Madrid supporters after missing Thursday's victory over Villarreal in the Copa del Rey.

The 22-year-old missed Los Blancos' last three games after picking up a calf injury earlier this month.

He played no part in their Spanish Super Cup clashes with Valencia or Barcelona out in Saudi Arabia, while he was absent for their dramatic victory in midweek.

Tchouameni took to social media following the win against Villarreal to tell fans he regretted 'not doing the right thing'.

The midfielder was pictured at the Accor Arena in Paris watching an NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons during Real's game.

While the France international isn't set to return to action for a few more weeks, his absence during a tricky period managed to rile fans.

Tchouameni, who moved to the Spanish capital from Monaco in the summer, took to Twitter to release a statement.

He said: "I apologise to my club, the coaching staff, my teammates and the Madrid fans for my presence at an event at a time when we were at stake in the Cup.

"I have been attentive at all times to what was happening in Villarreal, but I have not done the right thing. Very sorry."

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Despite winning La Liga and the Champions League last season, Carlo Ancelotti's side are struggling this term.

They're currently three points behind Barcelona in La Liga and were beaten 3-1 by their bitter rivals in the Spanish Super Cup final last weekend.

Goals from Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri were enough to give the Blaugrana a convincing lead. Karim Benzema grabbed a consolation in added time but it was too little too late.

Ancelotti took exception to claims the result was a 'humiliation' for Real. The Italian manager believes it's disrespectful, given the fact they ran out 3-1 winners over the Catalan giants back in October.

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He vented: "[To say] 'sporting humiliation' would be a lack of respect. We lost against Barcelona, just like we beat them in the league [3-1 on Oct. 16]. They played better and deserved to win, that's all.

"The mistakes we made decided the game. We didn't play the ball out well, they hit us twice on the counter and the game changed. It wasn't a lack of attitude, it was individual mistakes."

Real Madrid return to action against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening. They face Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16 next month, a repeat of last year's final.