Lesson learned by Barca midfielder Pedri after failed comeback

Pedri is getting better all the time. At 20 years of age, he has already had many experiences in the world of football. The hardest ones have been injuries. The last one hurt him a lot. A relapse that has served as a lesson to get to know his body better and never to rush again.

The Tenerife-born player was injured on Feb. 16 against Manchester United. It was an injury that he was supposed to overcome in 10-15 days but he is now approaching two months out of action. The reason was to force the issue to be available for the LaLiga clásico on March 19 against Real Madrid.

He started that week with a good feeling and his enthusiasm was excessive. Xavi Hernández himself saw the possibility of Pedri arriving in time. For this reason, the player completed one of the final training sessions before the clásico as if he was recovered. He knew Xavi needed him and he tried.

However, the day after he stepped on the training pitch he noticed that he had taken a step backward. The wound was not completely healed and he had to stop again. A setback from which everyone learned from.

Xavi will go with lead feet and the player will do the same. The urgencies are over. Pedri will return when he is one hundred percent. His physical condition is above any sporting need.

The frustration was even greater with the elimination in the semi-finals of the Copa el Rey against Real Madrid. Pedri watched from the front row of the stands as his teammates were beaten 4-0 and he was unable to help because he had tried to speed up his fitness.

Had he not pushed himself in the week before the break, he had two weeks ahead of him to put the injury fully behind him and could have played in the game. You never know what would have happened, but the general feeling is that Barça are much better with Pedri. Maybe a Copa del Rey final has been missed by wanting to cut down on time.

Pedri is the most differential player not only at Barcelona, but also with Spain. The national team missed him a lot during Luis de la Fuente's debut, another coach who squeezed him to the maximum by using him at the Tokyo Olympics after he had been a key player at Euro 2021 under Luis Enrique.

All coaches want Pedri in their team and it is understandable that Xavi was pining to have him in the game that could have sealed the league title. However, the consequences were very harsh and it won't happen again.

Pedri is feeling much better and, although he is ruled out against Getafe, the match against Atlético de Madrid is seen as his comeback. His feelings and the medical tests will decide. If the injury is completely closed and he feels well, he will be back in the squad. If not, he will continue with his recovery process.

Even if the next match day goes wrong and Barça lose at Getafe and Madrid or Atlético reduce the gap in La Liga, Xavi will not bet on Pedri if he doesn't have total guarantees that his physique will respond.