Barcelona crock Thomas Vermaelen admits his first season in Spain has been tough.
Vermaelen won't play again this term after undergoing hamstring surgery.
The former Arsenal captain said: "The last few months have been difficult because I have not been able to recover and so we decided to operate.
"I am very focused and the goal is to recover as quickly possible."
Vermaelen was touched by his teammates displaying t-shirts with a supportive message before victory over Espanyol.
"I knew nothing and was very surprised.
"I am grateful to my teammates for the way they have supported me with the shirts. It gives me a lot of strength in the coming weeks."
