Barcelona's Vermaelen recovers from calf injury

Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen has recovered from his latest injury setback, the club have announced. The Belgian has not featured since Barca's 1-0 LaLiga win over Real Valladolid on February 16 after sustaining what the club described as a "muscle overload" injury to the calf.

The 33-year-old was not named in Ernesto Valverde's squad for the trip to Real Betis on Sunday, but he could be in contention for the visit of local rivals Espanyol after the international break on March 30. Vermaelen has endured woeful luck with injuries in his career, missing lengthy periods at Arsenal due to fitness problems.

The issues continued after his move to Barca in 2014, robbing him of the chance of being consistently available for selection, particularly in his first season when he managed just a single LaLiga appearance.

March 16, 2019