Barcelona midfielder Pedri ruled out until 2022

Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernández will not be able to select Pedri in his first team until the new year, due to a thigh injury. The 19-year-old has been unable to shrug off the muscular problem since the beginning of the season and wasn't helped by the load of 2020/21, a season that saw the Canary Islander play 73 games in all competitions.

Pedri struggles after long campaign

In the current campaign, Pedri has only played a total of four games, the last one coming away to Benfica on 29 September. Since the 3-0 defeat to the Portuguese outfit, the Spain international has had two more knocks during his rehabilitation - the last one coming just over a week ago. The Catalan club and Xavi have decided to start his recovery from scratch, with current head of physiotherapy, Carles Nogueira, overseeing his return to action.

Barça's Golden Boy will return to action in the new year. His rapid rise to the top of Spanish football last season led to him playing over 70 games for Barcelona and Spain. When the LaLiga season ended, the talented midfielder then played a pivotal role under Luis Enrique for Spain in the European Championship. La Roja called him up for the Olympic Games, where he won a silver medal. This lengthy spell of games without any rest in the first major season of his career has naturally led to fatigue and injury.

Key part of Barcelona squad

Pedri turns 19 today and at such a young age has already become a key member of Barcelona's team. This setback will allow him to rest and recover before the business end of the season gets underway in 2022.