With the pre-season tour for FC Barcelona having concluded with a 1-0 victory over Italian giants AC Milan in the final game of the tour to the United States of America, the Catalan squad now travels back to Spain.
While the final two outings against both Real Madrid and AC Milan yielded positive results as Barcelona won the games 3-0 and 1-0 respectively, there are some other matters that need to be given more attention now that the pre-season tour is over.
Apart from the usual hassle of transfer arrivals and departures, Barcelona are specifically concerned about the physical condition of one of their brightest stars in the form of 18-year-old Pablo Gavi.
According to Spanish outlet Diario AS, FC Barcelona intend to conduct various medical examinations on Gavi once the team arrives back to the Spanish city where the Catalan club believes their advanced procedures and machines will best allow them to get a clear update on the situation of the youngster’s back.
Having experienced discomfort in that particular area throughout the pre-season tour, Gavi was tested and checked for progression in terms of recovery in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas as well.
Despite sources suggesting that the player had recovered well enough to take part in the final game against Milan, having even completed the full training prior to the game, Xavi Hernandez opted to not field the Barcelona star in fear of any potential relapse.
Moreover, reports claim that the viral gastroenteritis that Barcelona had become infected with hit Gavi as one of its very first victims and coupled with the back discomfort, made the experience already quite inconvenient for the youngster.
Gavi’s previous season had already been quite the exhausting endeavor, having had to be one of Xavi’s most trusted players as he completed around 60 games across the 2022/2023 season. Moreover, he was even summoned by the Spanish National team for the Nations League fixtures.
As the new official season fast approaches, Barcelona and Xavi Hernandez will be hoping to get their young Golden Boy in the best shape possible for the new challenges ahead for this young and hungry FC Barcelona side.