Villa reveals he is closing in on a return to action with Barcelona

Barcelona forward David Villa revealed that he is nearing the end of his injury nightmare, admitting that he "can see the light at the end of the tunnel".

Villa has been out of action since suffering a fracture of his left tibia during the Blaugrana's Club World Cup semi-final clash with Al-Sadd last December. However, the Spain international is on course to return to first-team action well before the end of the season and is in incredibly high spirits as a consequence.

"I'm really enthusiastic and have been burning up the later phases [of his rehabilitation] with a lot of work every day since it happened," the striker told the club's official website. "I'm really happy, lively, content, and eager. I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and am keen to enjoy football again from within."

Villa, who has been capped 82 times by Spain, has not given up hope on securing a place in Vicente Del Bosque's squad for Euro 2012.