Barcelona suffered a huge injury blow against Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday night as Pedri was taken off in the first half in serious pain.
The match was 0-0 and very finely poised at that point and given he is always one of the first names on the team sheet, the anguish on Xavi Hernandez’s was clear to see as the youngster from Tenerife limped off the pitch at Camp Nou.
Here are the details of the injury and the games that Pedri is expected to miss.
After being taken off during the entertaining 2-2 draw, Barcelona soon confirmed what injury Pedri had sustained against the Premier League side.
The 20-year-old injured has injured his rectus femoris muscle in his right thigh, essentially meaning that he has suffered a serious hamstring injury which is the kind of issue players cannot be rushed back from.
It is believed that Pedri now faces at least four weeks on the sidelines at what is an incredibly busy period of the season for the La Liga leaders. It goes without saying that he will be out for the return leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford. That is an even bigger blow considering Sergio Busquets is injured and Gavi will be serving a one-match suspension for his yellow card in the first leg.
There is the potential for Pedri to now be absent for nine Barcelona games.
He has started 18 of Barcelona’s 21 league games so far this season which shows that if he is fit and not suspended, Xavi starts him. The even bigger fixture is that Pedri could miss more than one game against Real Madrid, as well as the games against any potential next Europa League opponent.
He will miss the home game against Cadiz on Sunday, the second leg against Manchester United, both legs of the next round should the Blaugrana progress, the away game at Almeria, the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid, Valencia at home, Athletic Bilbao away, and possibly even the La Liga match against Real Madrid on the weekend of March 18 and 19.
That Clasico has been earmarked as the game for Pedri to work towards in his recovery. It could prove to be absolutely crucial to Barcelona’s hopes of winning the LaLiga title this season. they sit top of the table with a five-point lead and a game in hand right now. There is no guarantee they will have such a buffer by the time El Clasico comes around.
Pedri broke into the Barcelona squad for the 2020/21 season and he ended up being used a frightening amount for a player who was just 18 years old at the time. It was very much a sink-or-swim situation and he certainly swam.
In that season, he played 37 times in La Liga, six times in the Copa del Rey, seven times in the Champions League and twice in the Supercopa. Needless to say, he was not able to continue those numbers in the next season as he played 12 times in La Liga and 10 times in cup competitions.
He was set for some huge numbers again this season but the hamstring injury will certainly affect the appearance figures for the midfielder.
Credit: 90min.com
