August 30, (THEWILL) — Barcelona midfielder, Gavi, has been ruled out of Spain’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches after suffering a knee injury during Friday’s training session. The 21-year-old experienced discomfort in his right knee, forcing his withdrawal from Luis de la Fuente’s squad for September’s fixtures against Bulgaria and Turkey.
The Catalan club confirmed on Saturday that Gavi would miss Sunday’s La Liga encounter with Rayo Vallecano due to the knee problem. Barcelona’s medical team has not established a timeline for his return, stating that his availability will depend entirely on how his recovery progresses over the coming days.
Spain’s football federation officially removed Gavi from the national team setup following Barcelona’s announcement. The midfielder had been included in Friday’s squad selection but will not travel to join his international teammates for their preparation camp ahead of the crucial qualifying matches.
This latest setback comes just months after Gavi completed his comeback from a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out of action for 11 months. The Spain international made his return to competitive football in October and went on to make 26 appearances during Barcelona’s successful La Liga campaign.
Gavi has made two substitute appearances in the current season, contributing an assist on the opening day against Mallorca before playing the second half in last weekend’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Levante. Barcelona currently sit second in the league table, having won both of their opening fixtures.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
