Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has handed the Spanish club a boost by returning to training this week.

The 25-year-old has been out of action since suffering a foot injury against Spartak Moscow in September and had not been expected to return until the New Year.

However, the Spaniard has taken to his Twitter account to reveal the news, posting: "Happy to train with the team again!"

The Catalan outfit have struggled in defensive areas this season with fellow centre-back Carlos Puyol also on the treatment table.