Barcelona's Eric Abidal has been told that he could play football again following a successful liver transplant.

Surgeon Juan Carlos Garcia-Valdecasas, who carried out the operation, said that he would not stop the France defender from returning to the game further down the line.

"It's up to him. I wouldn't stop him. Time will tell," The Sun quotes the doctor as saying.

"If Eric responds well, there is no reason why he shouldn't. The liver is an organ that regenerates in three months. Abidal has to recover little by little, but between three and six months, or up to a year after the intervention, the patient is able to have a normal life.

"He is always in high spirits. He is a very positive character, it is tremendous. He has never complained about anything."

Abidal had a tumour removed from his liver last year, and was later forced to undergo a transplant in April this year with part of an organ donated by his cousin.