Villa set for surgery

Barcelona star David Villa will return to Spain in order to undergo surgery on the broken leg he suffered in the Club World Cup.

Although initial prognoses stated that Spain’s record scorer would be unlikely to play in his nation’s defence of the European Championships, Villa stated that he was optimistic of returning before the end of the season.

“Hello everyone! Thanks for your encouragement! This injury is a blow, but I am convinced that I will recover as soon as possible, thinking about playing (the Champions League) final in Munich and the Euros,” Villa announced via his Facebook page.

“I will work hard for it. They tell me that tomorrow I’ll be in Spain!”

Barcelona will face Brazilian club Santos without Villa in the final on Sunday as Pep Guardiola’s men look to reclaim their Club World Cup title.