Football : Malaga’s Baptista back in training

Baptista returns to full training for the first time since an Achilles operation that sidelined him for four months.

MADRID: Malaga forward Julio Baptista has returned to full training for the first time since an Achilles operation that sidelined him for four months.

“The main novelty of the session was club forward Julio Baptista, who trained at the same rhythm as the rest of his team mates and is expected to be back on the playing field very soon,” Malaga said in a statement. The 31-year-old former Arsenal, Real Madrid and AS Roma player, who is known as ‘the beast’, missed most of last season with injury problems, making only four league appearances. Q

atar-owned Malaga qualified for the last-16 of the Champions League with a 1-1 draw at AC Milan on Tuesday and are fifth in La Liga.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2012.