Abidal in recovery after liver op

Barcelona defender Eric Abidal is recovering well after undergoing a liver transplant on Tuesday, club president Sandro Rosell has said.

“Both Abidal and his cousin (Gerard, who donated the liver) are progressing well,” Rosell was quoted as saying on his club’s official website. “We cannot give any more information due to the express wishes of the family.”

The 32-year-old Frenchman’s transplant operation finished late on Tuesday night, at a similar time to the conclusion of Barca’s Primera Division match with Getafe at the Nou Camp.

During the 4-0 win the Barca fans paid their own tribute to Abidal, and coach Pep Guardiola and his players did likewise at the final whistle.

Guardiola said: “We want to dedicate this win to Abidal and to his cousin Gerard. It’s a special day because we knew that today he underwent his operation.

“We’ve been told that Abidal’s operation has finished, which has been long and we need to be patient. Throughout the week we will know more. The next few days will be key to see how things are going. We have a lot of faith in someone as strong as him.”