Vermaelen not phased by injuries as Barça career begins
Thomas Vermaelen is looking forward to his new life at Barcelona, insisting at his presentation on Sunday afternoon that his injury problems are in the past.
Barça confirmed the Belgian international could eventually cost the club €19million, before the defender was bombarded with questions about his history with injuries over the past few seasons with Arsenal.
"Last year was a bit disappointing with injuries," Vermaelen admitted. "But the injuries from last year are in the past and I'm confident in the medical staff here - I'm going to be fit and play a lot of games.
"For a player you want to be on the pitch. it's not nice to be injured and standing on the sidelines. I come here as a fresh start and hopefully I will have a great time."
The 28-year-old is "looking forward to the challenge of playing and training with the best players in the world" and said it was "easy" to make the decision to sign for Barça, amid interest from Louis van Gaal's Manchester United as well.
He's yet to meet Luis Enrique, admitting they've only spoken briefly on the phone once, but will now try and convince the Barça boss he deserves to start. It won't be easy though, with Enrique able to choose from Gerard Pique, Marc Bartra, Jeremy Mathieu and Vermaelen in the middle of defence.
"If you come to a big club like this you don't know if you're going play or not, you have to prove yourself," Vermaelen explained.
"The central defenders who are here are great players. I've seen them playing during the last couple of years. When you come to this club you know there will be great players. It's down to me to show I can play."
Vermaelen is the sixth new addition to the club this summer and he's already acquainted with one of the others. During his time at Ajax, before signing for Arsenal, he played alongside Luis Suarez, who he described as a "great player and a very nice person."
The latest in a string of players to swap the Emirates for Camp Nou, the new Barça defender claimed the similar styles applied by the two sides will help him to adapt. However, he also added that he is good in the air and was accustomed to facing physical players in the Premier League.
He will wear the No. 23 shirt at Barcelona and will undergo tests on Monday to establish how he has recovered from an injury suffered at this summer's World Cup in Brazil.
