Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Thomas Vermaelen fitness boost for Barcelona and Belgium

Barcelona and Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen has been declared fit ahead of the final La Liga fixture of the season.

Vermaelen, 30, has had an unfortunate run of injuries both before and after he joined Barca from Arsenal for €15 million in 2014.

The versatile player picked up his most recent calf problem in early April, but has been given the medical all-clear and his return is a boost for Belgium, especially given national captain Vincent Kompany is sure to miss the summer's Euro 2016 tournament.

The news came in a club statement issued by the Blaugrana outfit after Monday's training session.

"Thomas Vermaelen has been given the medical all clear to return to action," the statement said. "The Belgian has now recovered from the calf injury that has kept him out since 11 April.

"The international defender has played 20 matches so far this season, 15 as a starter, in his second campaign as a Barca player."

Barca's first team have no training on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and return on Thursday morning to continue preparations for Saturday afternoon's game at already-safe Granada, where a win will see Luis Enrique's team retain the Spanish title.

The Catalan side also have the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla in Madrid's Estadio Vicente Calderon on May 22 to look forward to.

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