Gavi injury ‘huge loss’ for Barcelona this season – Xavi

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández mentioned Gavi is irreplaceable after the midfielder tore his anterior cruciate ligament whereas taking part in for Spain final weekend.

Gavi, 19, will endure surgical procedure subsequent week and will not play for Barça once more this season, along with his participation in Euro 2024 subsequent summer season additionally successfully dominated out.

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“It is a huge loss for us,” Xavi mentioned forward of Barça’s LaLiga recreation away at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

“You can’t replace him; the heart, passion and courage he plays with. We have to try and find solutions without him, but it’s difficult.

“Rayo is the kind of recreation the place we’d like Gavi’s mentality and high quality. It will probably be intense. Vallecas is at all times a troublesome place to go for us.”

Sources told ESPN that Barça were “offended” with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after playing Gavi in back-to-back games during the international break despite having already qualified for Euro 2024.

However, Xavi said he had no problem with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s management of the situation and proposed a change to the way international football is shoe-horned into the calendar.

“I feel the injury is expounded to the schedule,” the Barça boss said. “At Gavi’s age, with the quantity of minutes and video games he has had… Sometimes [injuries] can simply be unlucky as effectively.

“FIFA are looking at the possibility of having eight or nine months with your club, going away with your national teams for up to two months and then having time off. It would avoid so much travelling.

“[Ronald] Araujo and Raphinha are simply getting back from 14-hour flights. They have not educated and tomorrow we have now a recreation. There are gamers — from Africa, South America and Asia — that need to journey an excessive amount of.”

Barça can even be with out Marc-André ter Stegen for Saturday’s journey to Rayo. The goalkeeper has a again drawback and will probably be changed by Iñaki Peña, Xavi confirmed.

Frenkie de Jong is match to return to motion, although, following a two-month injury layoff, with Sergi Roberto additionally again in coaching and anticipated to be accessible for Tuesday’s Champions League recreation in opposition to Porto.

Barça return to LaLiga motion this weekend sitting third within the desk, two factors behind Real Madrid and 4 adrift of shock leaders Girona, who they host in two weeks on the Olympic Stadium.

Prior to that Girona match, they welcome FC Porto and Atlético Madrid in two matches which can be important to their hopes of success each in Europe and domestically.