FC Barcelona had to contend with the absences of several players in this pre-season, which can go on to have a significant impact on how the next season pans out for Hansi Flick’s side.
Midfield is one of the areas where the absence of important players is felt most keenly, as Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Pedri have all been unable to train under the new Barcelona coach yet.
There was some good news in regards to the recovery of one of these three midfielders yesterday, as it was reported that Pedri is in the last stages of his recovery, and has already returned to training on the grass. He was expected to return to action by the end of August after this development.
Thus, Barcelona will get him back for the official games of the next season. In fact, another report from Mundo Deportivo claims that the midfielder is actually working on his recovery with the aim to return for the first league match of the 2024-25 season against Valencia on August 17th.
The Canary Islander is currently recovering from an internal lateral sprain that he suffered during the UEFA EURO 2024 in the match between Spain and Germany. Early tests indicated that he would have to miss action for around a month, and thus his recovery is going exactly according to the Catalan club’s plans.
Although Pedri might be available for the match against Valencia, it is not guaranteed that he will get minutes in that match as Flick would look to take a cautious approach to such an important player, especially keeping in view his problems with injuries in recent months and years.
But with the absence of Frenkie, Gavi, and Fermin Lopez, Pedri’s return would definitely be very welcome news for Flick, who would be relieved to get a key midfielder back before the next season starts.
