According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo will not play in Uruguay’s first two matches at the FIFA World Cup 2022 against South Korea and Portugal.
The 23-year-old centre-half has been recovering from a thigh injury that he sustained in late September which needed him to undergo surgery. Following the successful operation, it was reported that the defender will be sidelined for at least two and a half months.
But, Araujo has stepped up his recovery and has achieved enough progress for him to be named in the Uruguay squad for the World Cup, with a physio from Barça also accompanying him to Qatar to keep a track of his progress.
Reports indicated that Barcelona had an agreement with the Uruguayan Football Federation that they will use Araujo only from the knockout stages of the World Cup.
However, with the Uruguayan recently stepping up intensity in training sessions and participating in group training, there was suspicion that he could be pushed to step out on the pitch in the group stages itself, possibly in the clash against Portugal.
But, Mundo Deportivo is now reporting that even though Araujo’s evolution and progress on his road to recovery has been going much faster than expected, he is unlikely to be rushed back to action
It is claimed that the 23-year-old Barcelona ace will not be involved in La Celeste’s first two group games against South Korea and Portugal at any cost. There could be an outside chance that he returns for the final group game against Ghana on December 2.
Nobody involved is wanting to rush Araujo and his return will only be possible once he has recovered sufficiently enough and has no risk of an injury relapse.