Vilanova leaves intensive care

Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova left the intensive care unit of the Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona on Friday morning.

The 44-year-old underwent surgery on Thursday after he suffered a relapse of the tumour in his mouth which had kept him sidelined for a large part of the 2011-12 campaign.

The operation went according to plan, and Vilanova has now been moved to a regular unit for the next three to four days.

Vilanova will start with chemotherapy and radiation treatment that is scheduled to last about six weeks in the upcoming days.

Jordi Roura will take Vilanova’s place on the Barcelona bench for their last Liga match of 2012 away against Valladolid at the weekend, and will remain in charge until he is fully recovered.

Vilanova took over from Pep Guardiola ahead of the 2012-13 campaign and guided them to the best-ever start in La Liga, dropping only two points in their opening 16 games.