Injured Barcelona heavyweight training on off days as he targets early return – report

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has been out of action since mid-July when he faced a serious hamstring injury in Uruguay’s Copa America quarterfinal against Brazil.

The Blaugrana captain soon returned to Catalonia where it was decided that he would go under the knife for a complete recovery. Since then, he has steadily worked his way back and is now upping the ante.

Multiple phases of recovery

Araujo’s injury first began with a period of rest after the surgery which he spent with his family before working in his country with a physiotherapist to kickstart the recovery process.

In mid-September, he returned to Barcelona and began working at the club facilities and he now already works on the grass.

As revealed by SPORT in a recent update, Araujo is now completely focused on cutting short his period out and is working day and night to make his complete return.

The Barcelona heavyweight was seen at the club facilities even on Monday and Tuesday, the two days the rest of the squad enjoyed a day off.

Araujo was initially expected to be back in December or January but positive reports have brought to light that the player may make a complete comeback even earlier.

However, it will completely depend on his fitness and no risks will be taken.

Joan Laporta and Co. must thus begin looking for quick solutions to enable the re-registration of Araujo and Andreas Christensen whose places in the squad were sacrificed to make way for the likes of Inigo Martinez and Dani Olmo.

Once back, the Uruguayan star will have a tough time fighting for a starting place, especially after how Martinez and Pau Cubarsi have been flawless so far and overseen victories over Bayern Munich and Barcelona.