Rafinha set to return for Barcelona following six-month lay-off
Thursday 17 March 2016 15:55, UK
Barcelona midfielder Rafinha has been given the all clear to return to action following six months out with a serious knee injury.
The 23-year-old has been confined to the sidelines since damaging the cruciate ligament in his right knee during Barcelona's first Champions League game of the season at Roma last September.
"Six months after being injured in Rome, the Brazilian midfielder has overcome his knee injury and is once again available for Luis Enrique," Barca said in a statement posted on the club's website.
The club showed their faith in the player by renewing his contract until 2020 during his injury lay-off in November.
Rafinha, a regular in Enrique's side in the early part of the season, scored in the thrilling 5-4 victory over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup last August.
His presence will add competition for places in the Barca midfield as the champions look to seal a second consecutive treble of La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Enrique's men are eight points clear in the table with nine games remaining, face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final in May and progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 5-1 aggregate win over Arsenal on Wednesday.
Rafinha could also feature for Brazil at the Copa America in June, or on home soil at the Rio Olympics in August.
