Injured Barcelona star may return even sooner than expected

BARCELONA, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 19: Gavi of Barcelona celebrates after scoring the team's fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between FC Barcelona and Royal Antwerp at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on September 19, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain.

Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

In the midst of a busy summer transfer window, much of the focus from Barcelona has been on the market. The Catalan giants remain mainly concerned with the arrival of a few specific targets, but unexpected turns have made it a much busier duty than expected. However, there are some reinforcements Barcelona can definitely count on.

While transfer targets may or may not arrive, as proven by recent reports concerning Nico Williams, there are other players who are definitely going to make a return for Barça at some point this season. Several key Barcelona stars, including the likes of Ronald Araujo, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong are currently injured and working on their recovery.

Fortunately, however, it would appear that the latest injury update concerning Barça is all positive news about the recovery of a certain 19-year-old Golden Boy Award winner. As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, Gavi’s recovery following his ACL injury is now going even better than previously expected.

In fact, the Spaniard has made so much progress that there is now a belief that he could end up coming back sooner than previously expected. Following his injury, one that occurred while on international duty with Spain, the player has been in recovery since November of last year and has even had to undergo surgical intervention on his ACL and meniscus.

Not too long ago, the belief was that the player would be returning to the field for Barça sometime in November of this year, almost a year since his injury. However, the recent turn of events and his great progress in terms of recovery have opened a new window of opportunity.

Despite this, the doctors and coaches of the club will be extremely cautious with the player. They know his value to the club and the future of Barcelona, and risking his safety for short-term benefits is not on the table. However, there is a good chance that he may end up cutting his return date short by a few weeks if his progress remains consistent.

Previously, there has been much excitement about his return to training with the ball again. While the rest of the team continues their training, Gavi has at least moved past the stage of individual training and has instead now started working on the grass again. All these signs point to a strong recovery, but only time will tell just how much longer the player remains on the sidelines.