After Thomas Vermaelen scored his first goal for Barcelona against Malaga, his teammate Luis Enrique has praised the defender, admitting that he’s not yet fully fit.

The former Arsenal man hasn’t had the best luck for a few seasons now. At Arsenal, he was consistently getting injured, which caused his form to dip and never really return. The centre-back was replaced in the first team and he didn’t get the chance to regain it properly.

Wanting first team football, or simply just a move away, he went to the La Liga team, where he then got injured again and spent almost the entirety of his first season with the club watching from the sidelines.

However, now he’s not only playing but scoring, his peers claim they aren’t surprised.

The defender’s teammate Enrique said, “I’m not surprised by his level of play. He is still not 100 percent and has to keep accumulating minutes,’ added the former Barca and Spain midfielder. ‘He is a big asset at set pieces, he has a lot of character and is an expert player.”

On another note, what a stunning goal to get kick-started with, eh?