Ronald Araujo returns to action at Barcelona with an asterisk

Barcelona have welcomed back defender Ronald Araujo to their ranks, after the Uruguayan ended his leave of absence on Monday morning. His return could well be timely for manager Hansi Flick, who is now without Andreas Christensen due to a cruciate ligament injury which will likely keep him out until April.

Araujo requested a leave of absence several days after being sent off against Chelsea in the Champions League in early December. Following heavy criticism online and in the media, the 26-year-old decided a period away from the game was necessary in order to recover mentally. He has been out of action for the best part of four weeks, traveling to Jordan and Israel on a religious pilgrimage, and then spending the winter break in his native Uruguay.

Uncertainty over return

However Diario AS note that there is little certainty over when he will return to play his first match. Before the Christmas break, it was noted that he was aiming to return to training on the 29th of December, and was keen to be ready for Barcelona’s first game back after the winter break, the derby against Espanyol. The first part of that timeline has been accomplished, but when Araujo and Flick consider him able to get back into a competitive environment is another matter.

The Espanyol clash will be a tense affair, and following that Barcelona potentially have two demanding encounters in the Spanish Supercup in Saudi Arabia, facing Athletic Club in the semi-final, with one of Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid awaiting in the final should they get there.

Nathan Aké's signing will be difficult. Manchester City want between €15m and €20m for him, and the Dutch defender has a high salary. FC Barcelona have him on their shortlist, but haven't made a definitive decision. [@martinezferran] pic.twitter.com/SmewxpOjBX

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 30, 2025

Flick in need of reinforcements

While Araujo had slipped down the pecking order of late, the injury to Christensen makes his presence all the more important. Were Araujo to get his form back on track, then it would solve a major headache for Director of Football Deco. Manager Hansi Flick is supposedly in favour of bringing in reinforcements for Barcelona’s backline in January, and part of that may well be an awareness that the ideal situation is to ease Araujo back in.

Currently Barcelona are down to just six defenders in total. Pau Cubarsi has been partnered by Gerard Martin of late, while Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde and Araujo complete his options in central defence. Kounde, Martin and Garcia have all been required elsewhere at points though too.

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