Villa underwent surgery on Monday, after breaking his tibia in Barcelona's Club World Cup semi-final against Al Sadd on Thursday.

Initial reports suggested Villa faced a six-month spell on the sidelines, putting him out for the rest of the La Liga season and casting doubt on his Euro 2012 participation.

But the surgeon who operated on Villa believes the forward, 30, could be back in action before that.

"The medical team is very pleased with Villa’s operation," Doctor Ramon Cugat told AS.

"We hope that Villa will be able to play in the European Championship."

The surgeon is also quietly optimistic that Villa could feature in the Champions League final, should Barca get that far in the defence of their crown.

"He will come very close," Cugat said. "I think he will be out for four or five months, but we have to wait to see how it evolves. It can go wrong if I give a date."

It is expected that the striker will leave hospital in three or four days, before beginning his recovery process.