Since Pedri debuted for FC Barcelona, the box-to-box midfielder's role has been immense in the Barca midfield. In his initial seasons, he was a no-brainer for the manager as he would always be available for the club. However, injuries have got the better of the creative playmaker lately.
2023/24- A season full of injuries for Pedri
In the 2023/24 season, Pedri featured in only 34 games for the Catalan Giants, spending the rest recovering from injuries. Firstly, he faced a hamstring injury at the start of Barca's 23/24 campaign, which ruled him out for 16 games. Also, a month after he recovered from the hamstring, Pedri faced muscular problems, ruling him for another three games. Moreover, his season was affected by another hamstring injury that prevented him from featuring during March 2024.
Though the midfielder showed signs of improvement upon his comeback for Barca in April, an injury during the Euro 2024 tournament has tormented the player's match time. During the quarterfinal clash between Spain and Germany, Pedri picked up a knee sprain on a challenge from the German legend Toni Kroos.
Pedri reflects upon his difficult season
Recent reports estimate that the midfielder will be out for 5-6 weeks due to his grade 2 knee sprain. The midfielder has expressed his opinion about his injury, saying that these things keep happening in football, but he seemed upset about his last season. In Pedri's words,
""In football, injuries and accidents like these happen often. It’s a fast game, so when I fall and feel something wrong with my knee, it’s not surprising. This was a difficult season for me, where I had a lot of injuries.”"Pedri
Reports suggest that Pedri will join Barca after the initial La Liga matchdays, and in his absence, it would be difficult for Flick's side as he seems to be left with only one experienced option. With De Jong still recovering, Pedri's injury, and Gavi absent for the first matchdays, all the mettle falls upon the veteran Ilkay Gundogan to carry Barca's midfield.
Thus, Barca hopes injured players return soon to the Blaugrana camp, enabling them to kick off their 2024/25 campaign in style.