Barcelona manager Hansi Flick offered an update on the status of Ronald Araujo ahead of Wednesday’s Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club.
Araujo was named in the squad for the trip to Saudi Arabia even though he’s not quite physically ready to return to play, and Flick confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday that the Uruguayan is not currently in the coach’s plans for the game, but the coach will speak with the defender before making a final decision on his status for Wednesday’s
game.
“We’ll see him in training. I want to talk to him. We haven’t decided yet. If he’s ready, maybe we’ll change something. Right now, he’s not in our plans.
“These things happen. We have to take care of the players. All of them. The players are under pressure, and we’re all human. We make mistakes, and we have to be there to support them. I appreciate what the club did in this situation. Ronald is a very important player for us, one of the captains. I hope he gets back to his best.”
Araujo was away from the team for the entire month of December as he took a mental health break following a very difficult night at Stamford Bridge, but has been welcomed back with open arms by his teammates since returning to training last week.
It’s pretty clear Flick will be cautious and allow Ronald to take things at his own pace, but the coach will trust Araujo to play again as soon as the defender feels ready to return.
