Pedri facing another month out after second relapse of thigh injury
By Tom Gott
Barcelona midfielder Pedri is expected to remain on the sidelines for another month after suffering yet another setback in his recovery from a thigh injury.
The 18-year-old first picked up the problem against Bayern Munich all the way back in September, after which a rushed return forced him on to the treatment table for what was initially expected to be just a few weeks.
In late October, it was revealed that Pedri returned to light training but was almost immediately forced to stop, after which scans showed that he had aggravated his injury and was likely to miss another month.
According to Catalunya Radio, it's the exact same story again. Pedri was expected back soon but the latest round of scans have uncovered further problems with the same injury, and he's now expected to miss yet another 30 days of action.
There's a good chance that 2021 could be over for Pedri, who could miss five La Liga games - against Espanyol, Villarreal, Real Betis, Osasuna and Elche - as well as Champions League clashes with Benfica and Bayern.
Such a prolonged period on the sidelines is an alien concept to Pedri, who played a whopping 68 games for club and country last season, 54 of which came as a starter.
Pedri's fitness will be one of the first dilemmas for new manager Xavi to solve. The former midfielder is keen to rejuvenate the club's medical facilities and figure out why Barcelona have struggled so greatly with injuries in recent years.
Head physio Juanjo Brau, fitness coach Albert Roca and chief physician Ramon Canal have all been relieved of their duties, and Xavi is already lining up replacements to try and bring an end to the club's plague of fitness problems.
In the short term, he'll have to figure out a way to cope without Pedri on the pitch. Fortunately, the injury bug hasn't been so rampant among Barcelona's midfielders recently and Xavi has a full cohort to choose from.
Sergio Busquets will continue at the base of the midfield, with Nico Gonzalez, Gavi or Riqui Puig able to fill in alongside him.