Vidal cleared by Barça medical staff to play Sunday's Super Cup
Whether the Chilean midfielder, who was unveiled yesterday, makes his Barcelona debut in Sunday's Super Cup against Sevilla depends on Ernesto Valverde.
Almost as soon as he arrived in Barcelona, Arturo Vidal assured the media that he is "100% fit and in perfect physical shape to be a starter in Valverde's team". The Chilean midfielder says he is ready to make his debut in Sunday's Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla in Tangier - Barcelona's first official game of the new season. Yesterday, club medical staff told Ernesto Valverde that as far as they are concerned, the player is in conditions to play. Whether Vidal features on Sunday is entirely in Valverde's hands.
Valverde to monitor Vidal in training
The coach will make his decision on Vidal after watching how he fares in training between now and the weekend but it it is rteasonable to assume that he will form part of the squad that travels to Tangier as part of his adaptation. Depending on how the final pans out, he could make an appearance late in the game if the coach sees fit.
Red tape
For that to happen, Barcelona must first resolve the minor bureaucratic matter of their non-EU players because with Vidal's arrival, they have exceeded the limit. For now, it looks like Marlon and Yerry Mina will be leaving the club within the next few days and Philippe Coutinho is close to sorting out his Portuguese passport. As soon as that happens, Arthur Melo, Malcom and Arturo Vidal will fill Barça's quota of non-EU players and the Chilean will be free to make his debut.
