Barcelona star Lionel Messi is expected to return to the team for Sunday's La Liga game at home to Celta Vigo after returning to training with his teammates following treatment for a kidney stones.
Messi, 28, first had the problem during last December's World Club Cup in Japan, and missed out on Wednesday's 1-1 Copa del Rey semifinal draw at Valencia after taking some time off to deal with it conclusively.
Catalan sports paper Mundo Deportivo reported that he underwent an "extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy" (ESWL) treatment -- a non-invasive procedure which uses high intensity waves to break up kidney stones and allow them to be easily passed through the body.
The Argentina captain appears to have come through the procedure with no ill effects, as he was back training with his teammates on Thursday morning, according to a statement released by the Catalan club.
"Wednesday night's starters went through a light recovery session, while the rest of the team trained as normal," the statement said.
[TRAINING SESSION] #CopaDelRey Final in the bag, @FCBarcelona train anew����https://t.co/KOGK6a1Ko5 | #CopaFCB #Messi pic.twitter.com/dKxRdRyC6l
- FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 11, 2016
"Lionel Messi, who missed training on Monday and Tuesday to undergo medical testing stemming from a kidney issue he experienced in December, was back out on the practise field.
"Celta, which beat Barca 4-1 at Balaidos on Sept. 23, pose a major challenge. Keenly aware of Celta's determination, head coach Luis Enrique has scheduled one more workout -- Saturday -- ahead of Sunday's game. Saturday's workout will serve to fine tune the minor details left before Celta Vigo's visit to Camp Nou."
Other top players including Neymar, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique were also rested for Wednesday's Copa second leg at Mestalla, with Barca having won the first leg 7-0 the previous week, and all are expected to return to the XI against seventh-placed Celta on Sunday.