Barcelona suffer injury blow ahead of Xavi's first match in charge

Xavi Hernandez is not off to a good start as the new manager of FC Barcelona. It has been revealed that one of his budding young stars, Pedri, will be out for another month after suffering a relapse of a previous injury.

The newly-extended youngster will likely be sidelined for the rest of the year, and won't be able to return to action until January. The injury on Pedri's right thigh has been bothering him for a while, and continued action both with Barcelona and the Spanish national team has led to a relapse that will require a lengthy recovery that will last at least a month.

He had already been missing a number of games for Barcelona on-and-off since the start of the season due to fitness issues, and now he will be sidelined for a longer period than Xavi would have liked.

A realistic comeback for Pedri would be at the Supercopa de Espana in mid-January, but Xavi will need to find other options in the midfield until then. Frenkie de Jong will have to step up along with another Spanish sensation, Gavi. Meanwhile, Sergi Roberto could be brought up to fill in at the central midfield, if he is fit enough to play.

There will be a lot of changes in the tactical lineup, not just in the midfield. Barcelona's forward line is also extremely handicapped at the moment, with Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite and Ousmane Dembele injured as well. Sergio Aguero is also sidelined for at least three months due to his heart condition, leaving even fewer available options. Memphis Depay will have to carry the flag along with Luuk de Jong.

With Barcelona's finances in such a desperate state, Xavi won't be able to have a free hand in selecting players to bring in during the winter transfer window either. He has a mountain to climb for the remainder of the season, and it remains to be seen how well he will handle the current situation.