According to sources at Seoul Samsung Hospital Monday, injured French playmaker Zinedine Zidane seems to be recovering much more quickly than expected. He has been treated by the hospital's physical treatment and rehabilitation medicine staff since he asked head coach Roger Lemerre to replace him in the middle of the May 26th friendly match with co-host South Korea. He was later found to have suffered a tear in his thigh muscle. Although he is not expected to have healed sufficiently in time for Thursday's World Cup Group A match against Uruguay, Zidane's speedy recovery raises the prospects of his appearance in France's third and final group match with Denmark on June 11. Lemerre emphasized that Zidane is working hard to recover. Football experts surmise that Zidane's absence from the pitch was one of the reasons behind France's shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Senegal in Friday's World Cup opening match.