La Liga: Fresh lay-off for Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen after surgery
Tuesday 2 December 2014 17:13, UK
Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen is expected to be sidelined for a further four months after surgery on a hamstring injury.
Vermaelen has yet to make his competitive debut for the Catalan side since arriving from Arsenal in the summer on a five-year deal for £15m.
A brief statement on Barcelona's official website read: "Thomas Vermaelen successfully underwent surgery on Wednesday on the semitendinosus muscle in his right hamstring.
"The recovery period is estimated at approximately four months."
Vermaelen picked up the problem while playing for Belgium at the World Cup but has struggled with a series of injuries in recent years and made just 21 appearances for Arsenal last season.
