Éric Abidal returns to training with the first team! Welcome back, Abidal!

Éric Abidal / PHOTO: ARCHIVE FCB
The Frenchman joins his teammates after a nine-month hiatus

Tito Vilanova, who will undergo surgery on Thursday, was at the Ciutat Esportiva but did not lead the session

Almost seven months have passed since Éric Abidal was discharged from hospital. This Wednesday, the defender returned to training with the rest of his teammates. The Frenchman, who hasn’t played since February 26 due to liver transplant surgery, had trained apart from the group previous to today’s training.

Training session without Tito

This Wednesday’s session, however, didn’t feature first-team manager Tito Vilanova. The Catalan was at the Ciutat Esportiva but he didn’t take part in the session; Jordi Roura led the session in his stead.

Iniesta and Villa train in the gym

Andrés Iniesta and David Villa trained apart from the group this afternoon. The team will train again on Thursday, at 11.00 at the Ciutat Esportiva.