Villa back in Barca squad after long layoff
Reuters - Tuesday 07 August 2012, 13:07
Striker David Villa was included
in the Barcelona squad on Tuesday for the first time since he
broke his leg in December.
"He seems in very good shape after such a long and tough
injury," team-mate Andres Iniesta told a news conference ahead
of Barca's friendlies against Manchester United on Wednesday and
Dinamo Bucharest three days later.
New coach Tito Vilanova, who replaced Pep Guardiola at the
end of last season, named Villa in the 24-man squad for the
matches in Gothenburg and Bucharest, Barca's final friendlies
before the La Liga season starts the weekend of August 18/19.
The Catalan club missed his goals during the second half of
last term, when their Champions League bid was ended in the
semi-finals by eventual winners Chelsea and they lost their
Spanish league title to arch rivals Real Madrid.
"It's a joy to see him train, as he is a key player,"
Iniesta said. "We hope that he can return to action soon and do
what he best knows how to, which is score goals."
Villa, Spain's all-time leading marksman who joined Barca
from Valencia two years ago, fractured his left leg at the Club
World Cup.
The 30-year-old missed Spain's triumphant Euro 2012 campaign
before being given the all-clear by Barca's medical staff at the
end of last month.