Araujo opens up on World Cup tensions between Barca & Uruguay
The defender says it’s been a testing time
Ronald Araujo has opened up on the tensions between Barcelona and his Uruguay team regarding his fitness at the World Cup and says he would have been fit to play in the last 16 if required.
The defender was called up to the squad for the tournament but did not end up playing as Diego Alonso’s side failed to make it out of the group.
Araujo’s fitness caused plenty of debate, with Barca worried that he was being rushed back too soon after undergoing surgery in September.
The defender has now spoken about the situation after being given permission to return to Uruguay for a brief break after his World Cup exertions.
“Yes, I was physically fine, I had to have some training sessions with the team and we thought that I would have been there for the round of 16,” he said.
“It was obvious that Barcelona didn’t want me to force it, and the national team, within the deadline, wanted me to try and be there and help. We all knew that we could have the chance to be there, we tried.
“I feel sad for being eliminated and for not being able to play and help my teammates and the country. I lived the World Cup with a lot of tension because I wanted to be there, hurry to get there in good shape and be in the following games, but unfortunately it was not possible.
“Now I have a few days off to be with the family, to enjoy, to clear my head a bit and to recover. I’ll be back in Spain shortly, I’ll be back for and to compete with Barcelona, that’s the idea.”
Source | Marca
Araujo’s eagerness to play at the World Cup is understandable, but Barca will surely be relieved he didn’t feature and can now focus on getting him 100% fit in time for the restart.
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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