Barcelona crock David Villa is overwhelmed by the support coming his way after undergoing surgery on his leg fracture on Monday.

Villa is expected to be out for four-to-five months.

A Barca statement on Monday night read: "After surgery on his tibia, David Villa thanked friends and fans for the support shown to him these past couple of days. Among those he thanked was [assistant coach] Tito Vilanova, who visited the striker at hospital."

Spain's all-time record scorer said on fcbarcelona.cat: "My head has been recovering for two hours. I'll start to rehabilitate this leg soon.

"I'm really looking forward to getting well so I can return and fight on the pitch.

"With a lot of work and with people's help, you'll see me on the football field soon, enjoying myself like I did before."