Barcelona given huge boost over fitness of long-term injury to star

Barcelona have been suffering from a spate of injuries in recent months, with several major stars missing months of action, including Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo. There is positive news on the Spain international.

According to Relevo, he could be back much sooner than expected, after undergoing surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament issue last November, and was scheduled to return in November. The 20-year-old midfielder has been working with the ball for a few days now, and the feeling is positive. Gavi is keen to return, and now there is a real chance that he is back in October – despite the messages of calm over his recovery.

Meanwhile Araujo has returned to Barcelona from Montevideo after his muscle tear, and is now in the second phase of his recovery. De Jong is due to up the ante in training now to see if his ankle holds up, but there will be no more patience from the club’s medical staff if they see that the Dutchman’s injury is not fully healed – he will have surgery, with the memory of others who have turned down surgery fresh at the club.

The Blaugrana are currently down to just Pablo Torre, Pedri, Dani Olmo and Marc Casado as options in midfield, although Eric Garcia can be used there as an auxiliary option. Fermin Lopez is due back in mid-September, but the season-ending injury to Marc Bernal has made reinforcements that much more crucial.