Barça: a long-term injury returns! (Official)

Barcelona’s prolonged wait for Pablo Martín Páez Gavira, known to the football world as Gavi, is nearing its end. The 19-year-old midfielder, sidelined since the second match-day of the campaign after damaging the meniscus in his right knee during meetings with Mallorca and Levante, has spent months in rehabilitation following immediate arthroscopic surgery. Now, according to head coach Hansi Flick, the Spain international has re-joined collective training and will accompany the squad to San Mamés for Saturday’s league encounter with Athletic Bilbao, even though he will not be registered among the 23 match-day players.

“He’ll travel with the team, but he won’t be part of the squad,” Flick explained in Friday’s pre-match press conference. “He’ll train with us. He has taken another step forward.” The German tactician, appointed this summer, was quick to temper expectations, refusing to lock in a definitive comeback date. “We’ll see when he comes back, maybe after the break, or before… we’ll see,” he added, alluding to the forthcoming international hiatus that splits October from November.

Gavi’s re-emergence on the training pitches of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper represents a psychological lift for a Barça side seeking consistency in midfield. Since his injury, the club has rotated multiple profiles in the engine room, yet none replicate the Andalusian’s relentless pressing and vertical distribution. Medical staff have monitored his workload incrementally, progressing from isolated gym sessions to full-group drills, and now to traveling with the first-team contingent—an indicator that contact training has been cleared.

While Flick remains publicly non-committal, the trajectory suggests the former La Masia prodigy could be available for selection within the next fortnight, should no late setbacks arise. The club has not issued a medical statement, but sources close to the recovery process echo the coach’s optimism, describing the player’s knee as “responding well to increased intensity.”

For supporters who have waited since late August to see Gavi’s trademark intensity back in blaugrana, the light flickering at the tunnel’s end is growing brighter. Barcelona will hope his return injects fresh dynamism into a campaign still in its formative months.