David Villa is cleared to return for Barcelona

Barcelona's team doctor has confirmed that David Villa has made a full recovery after a long injury lay-off.

Villa was a huge absence for Barcelona in the second half of last season after undergoing an operation on his broken left leg last December.

Team doctor Ramon Cugat said on Tuesday: "Villa has fully recovered from the injury physically, but he is still not 100% ready."

The 30-year-old will be desperate to make up for lost time as he looks to prove his worth to new Barca boss Tito Vilanova.

Villa will be aiming to play in Barcelona's opening game of the La Liga season against Real Sociedad on August 19.