Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa has been given the all-clear to resume full training, although he is still some way short of reaching full match fitness, his club announced on Tuesday.
"He's doing very well medically, but he's not in optimal physical condition," said the club's doctors Ramon Cugat and Ricard Pruna in a statement on Barcelona's official website.
Villa, the Spanish national team's all-time leading goalscorer, fractured his tibia in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup in Japan in December last year, missing the second half of the season and Spain's triumphant Euro 2012 campaign as a result.
Barca captain Carles Puyol, who also missed the European Championship with a knee injury, has been given the green light to play again and could feature in the Catalan club's pre-season friendly against Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital on Saturday.
Villa will not feature in that game, however.
"One thing is getting the medical all clear and another is to be physically ready to play," added the doctors' statement.
Pruna explained: "He wasn't given clearance to play, he's training normally with his teammates but he still has work to do before he plays."
The Spanish season begins on the weekend of August 18-19, with Barcelona kicking off with a home fixture against Real Sociedad.
Source: AFP
