Vilanova was revealed yesterday to have suffered a relapse of the cancer he suffered from first last year.

“We’re appearing because an extension of Tito Vilanova’s pathology has been detected,” Rosell began. “We want to express our unconditional support to Tito and his family.”

“Yesterday we learned the news. Tito wanted to explain it to the players first, and we respected his will. We thank everyone for their support. Tito is strong, very strong, he’s shown us that and we’re convinced he’ll back with us very soon. We have complete confidence in the team. The club is very strong and united, we’re capable of overcoming adversity.”