Vilanova attends Barca training

Barcelona head coach Tito Vilanova has returned to the Catalan club's training base less than two weeks after undergoing surgery on a tumour in his throat. The 44-year-old has temporarily stepped aside at the Camp Nou after it was confirmed he required a further operation on cancerous tissue near his parotid gland, having previously had saliva glands removed in November 2011. Vilanova faces six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, with his assistant Jordi Roura assuming control of the first team, but the Barça boss was well enough to attend a training session today. A statement released on the club's official Twitter feed read: "Tito Vilanova came to the Ciudad Deportiva this morning and greeted the players who trained there." The news that their coach faced a second battle against cancer came on 22 December, with Barcelona medical staff suggesting at the time that Vilanova could potentially combine his treatment with his first-team duties, should circumstances allow. Club president Sandro Rosell revealed last week that he was optimistic Vilanova could return to work "within two or three weeks". It remains unclear, though, whether Vilanova will be involved in preparing his players for Barça's home game with city rivals Espanyol this Sunday. From : Fifa