Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez has called upon his squad to show their worth after suffering the loss of two players through injury during the international break.

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Midfielder James Rodriguez and full-back Danilo are both unavailable for today’s trip to Espanyol, leading Benitez to air the customary gripe of club managers against the perils of national team action.

“When our players went away with their national teams we had no injuries, and now there are two,” he complained.

Benitez was particularly frustrated that the games resulting in injuries for Colombian James and Brazilian Danilo were only friendlies, adding: “There are too many international games. We see players going off to play unimportant games and I think it is right that FIFA provides compensation for injuries. They should do so according to the damage caused to teams.”

However, Benitez believes his squad possesses the necessary strength in depth to cater for those absences, with Spanish internationals Dani Carvajal and Isco set to come into the starting line-up.

“We have to get a performance out of the excellent available squad members so that we are not affected by the injuries,” he said. “We are excited, enthusiastic and confident.”

One player under particular scrutiny is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has failed to score in any of his four games this season after following a goalless start to the La Liga campaign with another pair of blanks for Portugal last week.

But Benitez claims to be unconcerned by his star player’s unusual barren run, insisting the goals will soon come if Ronaldo continues to play in the same manner.

“He is the player with most shots in La Liga, and with his work rate and quality he is definitely going to score a lot of goals,” he added.

Saturday’s meeting with Espanyol will also be the first start for Keylor Navas since the Costa Rican international goalkeeper was installed as Madrid’s undisputed No 1 following the collapse of David De Gea’s proposed move to Spain on transfer deadline day.

Navas missed his national team’s friendlies with Brazil and Uruguay to continue training with his club side during the international break, and Benitez believes he has not been negatively affected by the saga of De Gea’s on-off move – which nearly saw him head in the opposite journey to Old Trafford.

“I was with Keylor on the day the market closed, along with his wife and his agent, and he knows the confidence that I place in him,” said Benitez. “He is 100 per cent at ease. I had dinner with Keylor and everything is perfectly clear between us. He has trained brilliantly and he is ready to play really well.”