Injured Barcelona Star Returns to Club for Urgent Treatment Before World Cup Opener

With just one week to go, a nervous race against time begins.

Ronald Araujo has been struck down by injury. | Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

The Uruguay Football Association (AUF) has confirmed Ronald Araujo will return to Barcelona for treatment on an injury just one week before the country’s World Cup opener.

“To help resolve a muscle strain, the player will receive medical treatment from professionals who have treated him previously,” a statement read. “The AUF’s coaching staff and medical team agreed with this decision.”

Crucially, Araujo has not been removed from the Uruguay roster, with manager Marcelo Bielsa hopeful the center back will be fit enough to play a significant role this summer.

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Will Ronald Araujo Be Fit Before World Cup Opener?

Araujo faces a nervous wait. | Chris Ricco/Getty Images

The AUF statement adds that Araujo will miss team training on Monday, flying all the way back to Spain for express treatment, but he is then expected to report back to the group on Tuesday as they prepare to travel to Mexico for the start of their World Cup journey.

That sort of travel would take its toll on anybody, and that is before an injury is factored in. There is clearly confidence that work with Barcelona’s medical staff can have an immediate impact, although with just one week to go before the World Cup begins, the clock is obviously ticking.

Uruguay’s first game of the summer comes against Saudi Arabia in Miami on June 15, giving Araujo an incredibly limited time to bounce back from a muscle strain. Local reports insist those close to Araujo have no concerns over his wider involvement at the World Cup this summer, although his role in the opening game against Saudi Arabia would appear to be in significant doubt.

Six days after the Saudi Arabia game, Uruguay will face Cabo Verde, again in Miami. Depending on the severity of Araujo’s injury, that fixture may be a more likely return date, although Marcelo Bielsa may look to keep the defender as fresh as possible for the toughest match of the group stage against Spain on June 27.

That final fixture is likely to decide the top spot in Group H, but Uruguay will expect to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup even without the influential Araujo.

Araujo is one of four center backs in Bielsa’s squad. Captain José María Giménez will retain his spot in the starting lineup but, if the Barcelona defender is unavailable, will have to be partnered by either Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Santiago Bueno or Club América’s Sebastián Cáceres.

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