Javi Navarro on road to recovery

Sevilla FC captain Javi Navarro has been given the go-ahead to prepare for a first-team comeback in three months' time after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on a long-term knee injury.

No further surgery
Navarro had the operation to verify the extent of the problems in his right knee which have prevented him from playing this season. The procedure, which took place on Thursday night, has been declared a success: although it revealed the location of the discomfort that Navarro is feeling in his kneecap and also some cartilage damage, further surgery will not be needed.

Road to recovery
The 33-year-old Spanish international centre-back can therefore begin plotting a return to Sevilla's first team. His last act as captain was to lift the Spanish Cup in June after he also collected the UEFA Cup trophy for a second time following the defeat of RCD Espanyol in Glasgow last May. When eventually he does get back to action, Navarro will hope that his Sevilla side remain in UEFA Champions League contention. They qualified for the first knockout round, to be played on 19/20 February and 4/5 March, by winning Group H.