Barcelona midfielder Gavi has taken a significant step towards returning to action after almost 10 months out with a serious knee injury. The 20-year-old returned to training on Thursday, marking his first session since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing for Spain against Georgia in a European Championship qualifying match last year.
There is currently no fixed date for Gavi's potential comeback, with his return dependent on how he responds to a gradual increase in workload over the coming weeks. Barcelona is set to face Girona in LaLiga on Sunday before commencing their Champions League campaign against Monaco next Thursday, followed by challenging fixtures against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid at the end of October.
Gavi's return to training was celebrated by his teammates, who gave him a guard of honour, highlighting the significance of this milestone in his recovery journey. The midfielder, who made his first-team debut for Barcelona at the age of 16, had accumulated 111 appearances for the club before his injury last November.
His return will be a welcome boost for head coach Hansi Flick, who is currently facing a shortage of midfield options due to various injuries. Alongside Gavi, Frenkie de Jong is sidelined with an ankle problem, Fermín López sustained an injury during the international break, and Marc Bernal's season was cut short by an ACL injury in a recent game against Rayo Vallecano.
Furthermore, Andreas Christensen, who played in midfield last season, is also unavailable due to injury, while Oriol Romeu and Ilkay Gündogan departed the club during the summer transfer window. On a positive note, forward Ansu Fati is nearing a return to competitive action after completing training without any issues this week, potentially making his comeback against Girona in LaLiga on Sunday.
