Barcelona pencil in return date for Gavi as midfielder returns to full training

Barcelona’s Ciutat Esportiva was buzzing on Friday morning as Pablo Martín Páez Gavira—known to the football world simply as Gavi—completed his first full session alongside his team-mates since the serious knee setback that has sidelined him for the past five months. The 19-year-old midfielder underwent a second operation on the joint late last year, and his reappearance on the training pitch represents a significant psychological lift for a squad smarting from back-to-back defeats against Atlético Madrid and Girona.

While the club has not issued an official medical bulletin, Spanish daily AS reporter Javi Miguel indicates that Barcelona’s performance staff are “talking about two to three more weeks to receive the all-clear.” That projection would place Gavi’s potential competitive return in early May, though officials are expected to err on the side of caution given the player’s injury history.

Coach Xavi Hernández has repeatedly stressed the importance of re-integrating Gavi gradually, mindful that the teenager’s all-action style places considerable stress on his knees. The Andalusian’s presence alone, however, is already being felt inside the dressing room, where his infectious energy and relentless competitive drive have made him a talismanic figure among senior pros and academy graduates alike.

“He controls everything: the rhythm, the confidence, the team’s identity,” one staff member noted during Friday’s session, a nod to Gavi’s unique ability to set the tempo of Barcelona’s midfield press. That quality has been sorely missed during a turbulent April in which the Blaugrana have surrendered initiative in high-stakes league encounters.

With the season entering its decisive stretch, Xavi has laid out a series of tactical demands designed to restore collective confidence. The return of a fit and motivated Gavi would offer an on-field solution to many of those issues, providing ball-winning intensity and quick vertical passing that has become a hallmark of Barcelona’s DNA.

For now, supporters will have to wait a little longer before seeing the midfielder back in competitive action, but the simple sight of him weaving between cones and exchanging one-touch passes with Frenkie de Jong and Pedri signals that the countdown has officially begun.