Barcelona hit with brutal blow as midfielder will miss six weeks through injury | OneFootball

Barcelona midfielder Gavi was set to return with full force this season, having spent last year getting back up to speed following a cruciate ligament injury. The 21-year-old is suffering from a meniscus injury though, that will keep him out for more than a month.

On Friday, Barcelona’s medical staff assessed Gavi following two weeks of rest after missing out against Rayo Vallecano. Gerard Romero has reported as much, and says that the plan is to continue with a conservative treatment of rest, as they seek to avoid surgery on the meniscus. The club and Gavi will meet again next week to see whether Gavi has made progress, or will need to undergo an athroscopy.

Gavi out for at least six weeks

Since, Marca have reported that regardless of whether he follows a recovery plan based on rest and minimal intervention, or has surgery, he will be out for at least six weeks. Even if he does rest, there information is that he will not return before the October international break. Barcelona return to action against Girona on the 18th of October.

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Should he have the arthroscopy, then he will need six weeks to recover from that, but even if the conservative treatment functions, and the recovery period is less, he will not be back before the Girona game.

What games will Gavi miss?

The big disappointment for Gavi is that his presence in El Clasico on the 26th of October, a week after the Girona game, looks unlikely, or in all probability, minimal. Between those two clashes, the Blaugrana host Olympiakos in the Champions League.

Before the international break, Barcelona have seven games; Valencia (H), Newcastle United (A), Getafe (H), Real Oviedo (A), Real Sociedad (H), Paris Saint-Germain (H) and Sevilla (A). Marc Casado and Frenkie de Jong are Hansi Flick’s clear alternatives alongside Pedri, although Marc Bernal may be back in contention shortly.