Thomas Vermaelen is finally feeling like his old self again. For Barcelona, though, that almost makes him feel like a new signing.
After signing for the Catalan club from Arsenal in the summer of 2014, Vermaelen must have expected his Barcelona career to be fully on track by this point more than a year later. Yet the Belgian defender is only now enjoying his first run of games with the squad under manager Luis Enrique.
Injuries were to blame for the Belgian's miserable 2014-15 campaign. A recurring hamstring issue ruled him out of action for almost the entire season, with Vermaelen finally making his debut in late May.