Barcelona have stated that they are not worried about the fact that summer signing Thomas Vermaelen has not been able to feature in a single match for the club so far. The Belgian international was seen as the popular replacement for Carlos Puyol, who retired at the end of last season.
Vermaelen may not have been an Arsenal first-team regular for the last 12 months, but he has undeniable quality that propelled him to the position of being one of the top defenders in the Premier League upon his £ 10 million arrival from Ajax.
The 29-year-old has not been able to make a start for his new club, Barcelona. However, this does not put him in a difficult mental state. This is largely because Barcelona appear to have convinced Vermaelen that he remains an integral part of the team despite his continued absence. The club’s sporting director Andoni Zubizaretta has revealed that Barcelona were aware that the player had a fair bit of injury problems even before signing for the club. Hence, he is confident that the Belgian international will be ready to play top-level football sooner rather than later.
In the absence of Vermaelen, Barcelona have continued with familiar faces like Gerard Pique and Dani Alves.”In principle, Vermaelen’s recovery should be three months after the operation. It’s not a disappointment, it’s more of a life matter.We knew he would arrive injured, so we had a conservative process in place for him.It was perfect. He had a small tear and it was best to operate on him. He’ll perform for us immediately.The day he plays, he will fulfil what I said about him. He doesn’t need to adapt, he’s already used to performing under pressure,” said Vermaelen, who is expected to be back at least before the end of the campaign.