Barcelona enjoyed an encouraging weekend when they maintained their three-point lead over Real Madrid by beating Espanyol 2-0 and they received a further boost to their morale when their Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen was finally declared fit, eight months after joining the club from Arsenal.
The centre-half was signed on a five-year contract for a fee approaching £15m last August but has yet to make his competitive debut for the Catalan side. However, with just five league games of the Spanish season remaining, Vermaelen “has been declared fully fit by doctors”, according to Marca.
The Barcelona website said: “Vermaelen was given the medical all-clear following Sunday morning’s workout at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.”
“Vermaelen is back, which is great news and his team mates welcomed him with a big round of applause because they know what it is like to be injured,” the coach Luis Enrique said.
“There is competition for his position and I am sure he will be able to help us. Beyond that it’s the same situation as always. We have 23 squad players now instead of 22 and it’s a problem for the coach and not the players.
“They need to continue doing what they have been doing, what I have been emphasising since the start of the season, which is winning their place on the pitch.”
The 29-year-old defender has suffered a series a string of muscular injuries and in December had an operation on his right leg which has led to weeks of recovery.
Barcelona play Getafe at home on Tuesday night and close out their campaign with games against Córdoba, Real Sociedad, Atlético Madrid and Deportivo de La Coruña while they are still in the hunt for the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
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