What Does the Future Hold for Thomas Vermaelen at Barcelona?

Thomas Vermaelen. The mere mention of his name is likely to strike fear into the hearts of every Barcelona fan.

Here we are in mid April and the Belgian international is still yet to make a competitive first-team appearance for the Blaugrana.

Despite receiving medical clearance, per FCBarcelona.com, and the Catalans having two relatively routine fixtures against Getafe and Cordoba, with the greatest of respect to those teams, Luis Enrique still did not feel it appropriate to blood Vermaelen, per FC Barcelona.

While some may contend that it's sheer bad luck that Vermaelen has found himself a permanent residency on the treatment table, this precise situation was foreseen some time ago.

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Talksport quote Barcelona daily Sport back in October as suggesting the doctors at the club were begging for the deal not to be completed because of Vermaelen's previous injury track record.

Transfermarkt note that he missed a total of 102 games in five years with Arsenal, or 512 cumulative days out of action through various injury concerns. Thirty-five games or 176 days have already been missed since at Barca.

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It's truly astonishing that the deal was ever sanctioned in the first place, despite Barca's urgent need at the time for a centre-back of note.

In any event, what's next for Vermaelen?

With just three games left to play in La Liga and Real Madrid still breathing down their necks, arguably Lucho isn't about to play the Belgian any time soon. Unless there is a huge and immediate injury crisis.

Bayern Munich loom large in the Champions League and the semi-finals of that competition really isn't the time to be making a competitive debut either. Ditto the Copa del Rey final at the end of the month against Athletic Bilbao.

During the summer, Barcelona will hold their presidential elections. Sergio Fernandez of Marca even suggests that current president Josep Maria Bartomeu will need to shortly stand trial with Sandro Rosell over the signing of Neymar and the precise nature of that deal.

Against that backdrop and the weight of public opinion, there's a very real possibility that Bartomeu will be ousted.

Any new president is highly likely to want to bring in his own men, including at first-team level. It's therefore not beyond the realms of possibility to suggest that Luis Enrique will also be moved on and with a new manager comes new ideas and new players.

Vermaelen would have to be Teflon coated to come through all of that and still be in line to make his debut at the beginning of next season.

For a former captain of the Gunners that's an almighty fall from grace but football is an unforgiving game sometimes.