Eric Abidal to be discharged later this week

Eric Abidal can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. The French defender, who underwent a liver transplant on April 10th just last year, is getting closer and closer to the point of being picked by Tito Vilanova and Jordi Roura.

The forecast of the coaches, physical trainers and medical teams is that at the end of this week Abidal will be fully discharged, which signals some great news for the club at a time when winning the triple is a reality.

Depending on when he finally gets the definitive nod, Abidal would be a great option for Barca but obviously would not be on equal footing with the rest of his teammates after having gone through a very long period of inactivity.

The fact that the Abidal has received a medical discharge does not mean that the player will automatically be called into action. It will be the trainers who have the final say whether he plays or not but it is true that Abidal has already spent a few days working with the rest of the squad and moving around with great pace. It is quite clear therefore that the Frenchman is now in the final stages of his recovery.

The return of Eric Abidal should have been a little faster but there were a few complications that led to Barca’s own medical staff having to speak with the medical team that carried out the surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his liver, that slowed down the player’s progression.

From now on though, it will be up to Vilanova and Roura if Abidal is to get any playing time on the pitch and the fact that he’ll be fully discharged will raise the morale considerably in the Barca dressing room. Two seasons ago, Barca celebrated in style the return of Abidal after his first operation.

A lot of fans will remember when he was called into the squad on the eve of the second leg semifinal round of the Champions League against Real Madrid.

Eric Abidal came on in extra time to a thunderous ovation from the Nou Camp crowd and just three weeks later lifted the trophy at Wembley.

Now, the club is looking at a double showdown against Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Abidal will train today at the club’s training ground with David Villa and Adriano, who won’t be playing against Milan tomorrow night.