After over five months out on the sidelines, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo made it to the matchday squad this week for the UEFA Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund.
The Uruguayan international suffered a thigh injury, specifically a tear in the hamstring tendon of his right leg, during the Copa America clash against Brazil back in July and had to undergo surgery.
Araujo celebrates return
Since then, he has been working on his recovery in an effort to return as soon as possible. Having been training with the group over the past few weeks, Tuesday marked the day of Araujo’s comeback into the matchday squad.
Following his inclusion in the squad for the Dortmund game, Araujo celebrated his return with a video on social media.
In the post, the Uruguayan highlighted his progress and the work he had put in over the past few months, sending a motivational message: “I am back,” while wearing this season’s Blaugrana shirt.
Will Araujo play tomorrow?
While Flick has named Araujo in the matchday squad, whether the centre-back will make his official return to the pitch still remains to be seen.
When asked about the Barcelona second captain’s chances of featuring at Signal Iduna Park tomorrow, the manager said:
“We’ll see tomorrow if he plays. It’s a joy that he’s back. He has a lot of strength and motivates his teammates a lot. Also the coach. I like his winning attitude. The plan is for him to play, but I can’t say how much yet.”