Ronald Araujo receives medical green light ahead of Barcelona vs Espanyol – report

Ronald Araujo has finally been given the green light by the Barcelona medical department ahead of their La Liga encounter against RCD Espanyol on Saturday afternoon. This claim comes from journalist Javi Miguel of AS.

The 23-year-old had been out of action since late September when he suffered a thigh injury while on international duty with Uruguay in a friendly encounter against Iran.

Having needed to undergo surgery, Araujo was ruled out of action for around two to three months. Despite that, he was called up for the FIFA World Cup 2022 by the Uruguay national team, leading to tensions between the club and the football federation.

Barcelona had felt that the Uruguayan camp were risking Araujo’s recovery by rushing his return. However, a group-stage elimination meant that the defender never played in Qatar.

Having returned to Barcelona earlier this month, Araujo resumed training with the rest of the group over recently and was tipped to receive a go-ahead from the medical team imminently.

And, now Javi Miguel is reporting that the 23-year-old has been given the green light by the Barça medical department just in time for the upcoming clash against Espanyol on Saturday.

As to whether Xavi will actually decide to use Araujo for the game, only time will tell. Given the time that he has been out of action for, starting the Uruguayan without any match-practice might be imprudent, especially with a crucial match against Atletico Madrid coming up.

So, Araujo could get some minutes from the bench in the derby on Saturday so that he can get some minutes under his belt and build up rhythm for the remainder of the season.