Barcelona have confirmed that young talent Pedri will spend a stint on the sidelines due to a right quadriceps injury.
The 20-year-old sustained the injury during a training session on Thursday, sidelining him for several weeks and casting doubt over his imminent return.
Pedri’s absence deals a significant blow to Barcelona, especially with tough matches to come against Villarreal and Osasuna in La Liga.
With domestic competition soon pausing for an international break, the Spanish midfielder could return around September 17 when Barcelona face Real Betis.
This unfortunate development compounds Barcelona’s existing troubles, as Pedri joins Ronald Araujo on the injured list, leaving manager Xavi Hernandez with a challenging predicament ahead of the Villarreal clash this weekend.
While Xavi boasts an array of midfield options, Pedri’s absence poses a unique dilemma.
The coach has Ilkay Gundogan, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Oriol Romeu, Fermin Lopez and Sergi Roberto at his disposal.
However, Pedri’s reliability and pivotal role as a creative force in the midfield make his absence sorely felt.
Pedri has featured prominently in Barcelona’s defence of their La Liga title, starting in both matches. He scored their first goal of the season with a strike to open the scoring against Cadiz last weekend.
The midfielder battled back from a series of setbacks during the latter part of last season, including a hamstring problem that led to his absence from several matches.
Barcelona can ill afford to be without Pedri for a lengthy period, particularly with rivals Real Madrid making an excellent start to the season.
