Real Madrid coach Juan Roman Caro said he was pleased with the performance shown by newly-signed striker Antonio Cassano, while stressing that the Italian needs more time to return to his best form.

"We are very pleased with Cassano's progress but he has not reached his peak yet," Caro was quoted as saying by Spanish daily Marca on Wednesday.

"When he becomes fully fit he will be a real addition to our squad," he added.

After being out of action for a long time, the 23-year-old started a body-building program in order to regain his fitness.

Cassano scored against Real Betis in the first leg of King's Cup quarter final against Real Betis last week as well as leading the attacking line in Real's 3-1 win over Cadiz in Spanish Primera.

Meanwhile, Caro has warned his players not to approach the second leg of the King's Cup quarter final on Wednesday over-confident.

A win or draw for the Spanish giants would be enough to send them through to the semi final after beating Betis 1-0 in the first leg.

"The result of the first leg maybe deceptive, Betis played an excellent match as their group of players is one of the best in Spain," he said.

"We suffered a lot from such situations, so we have to give our best in the encounter," he added.