Thomas Vermaelen included in Barcelona squad against Paris Saint-Germain

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has included defender Thomas Vermaelen in his match day squad for today’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

The 29-year-old defender was signed from Arsenal for a reported £15 million last summer, but was almost immediately sidelined with a serious hamstring injury. The club eventually decided to have Vermaelen go under the knife in December in a bid to finally put an end to his ordeal.

After the operation, it was thought Vermaelen would be out of action for four to five months. So a return during the doctor’s timetable is within the realm of possibility.

The Belgian returned to training late last month and had been rumored to be close to a return. However, the club has taken an extremely cautious road with their investment and not rushed the defender back into the squad.

Now, it appears Vermaelen is finally fit enough to be included in Luis Enrique’s match day squad and the manager has elected to add the defender to tonight’s team against PSG.

Barcelona hold a 3-1 advantage from the first leg and are looking to close out the Champions League quarter-final at the Camp Nou later today.

Programming note: Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain will be shown LIVE today at 2:45pm EST on FOX Sports 1 and FoxSoccer2Go.