Italian MotoGP star Valentino Rossi has left hospital after surgery on his broken leg, according to media reports.

On crutches, the 38-year-old left the Torrette hospital on Saturday in Ancona, in northeast Italy, and was taken to a secret rehabilitation centre, the ANSA news agency reported.

Rossi was taken to hospital on Thursday after an accident with an enduro motorbike. He had successful surgery for “displaced fractures of the tibia and fibula” the following day, his Yamaha team said.

The doctor who led the operation, Raffaele Pascarella, was quoted as saying by the La Repubblica newspaper that Rossi could make a comeback as early as the September 24 Spanish Grand Prix in Aragon.

“Each person has their own (recovery) times, but he could make it,” Pascarella said.

In a Friday media conference, the surgeon was more cautious, saying the athlete definitely needed 30-40 days of rest.

Rossi won the MotoGP nine times. He is fourth in the 2017 world championship standings.