Luis de la Fuente opens up on how €90m Barcelona player’s injury brought his team closer | OneFootball

FC Barcelona, being one of the best clubs in the world, always has massive representation in the national team setups. This fact is especially accentuated when it comes to the Spanish national team, which usually has several players from the club.

The flip side of having massive representation is that Barcelona are also one of the teams that suffer the most from injuries during international games. Two players who come to mind in recent memory are Gavi and Ronald Araujo.

To say that Gavi was one of the most talented midfield prospects in Europe prior to his injury would be an understatement. Former Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal revealed recently in an interview that it took him just 10 minutes to understand the 20-year-old’s immense potential.

Thus, it came as a cruel blow to Barcelona back last November when, playing in an inconsequential Nations League match against Georgia, Gavi tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament which has since seen him miss 11 months of footballing action. The good thing is that the 20-year-old is closing in on a return.

Photo Credit: The Official Website of FC Barcelona

Luis de la Fuente opens up on Gavi’s unfortunate injury

Luis de la Fuente, in a recent interview as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, was asked about the key moment in his tenure as Spain’s head coach so far and he pointed out the Gavi incident as the moment that brought the entire team together.

“First, in football terms, one of the important moments was the match in Georgia ( 7-1 thrashing ). The team solidified after coming off a win in the Nations League. It was that decisive moment that confirmed we are united and want to achieve something significant.”

“Unfortunately, Gavi’s injury was another moment that brought us together a lot. A family member was suffering, and we wanted to help him and make sure he felt supported throughout his recovery.”

“Fortunately, Gavi was later present at the Euro celebration as one of the team. And, of course, the crowning achievement with the Euro title. I believe these have been very, very important moments that have truly made this team a team in capital letters.”

One thing you can say with absolute certainty is that if Gavi had been fit, he would have surely been a part of Luis de la Fuente’s squad in Germany. However, at 20, the youngster will get many more chances to win a tournament with his national team.

Luis de la Fuente has done an excellent job as the Spain manager but Barcelona fans would still wish the tactician had not started the €90m-rated midfielder in the match against Georgia, considering he was due for a rest then.

Regardless, there is no point pondering over ‘what-ifs’ scenarios in football. One can only hope that La Roja can learn a lesson from the Gavi injury and take a more cautious approach towards Lamine Yamal.

As for Gavi, he is set to return after the international break and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he looked fitter than ever. Let’s wait and see how his return to football pans out.