Barcelona confirm Gavi suffered only a knee bruise after Elche victory

Barcelona have reassured supporters that Gavi has not sustained a serious injury after the midfielder was forced off during Sunday night’s 5-0 La Liga victory over Elche.

The club said on Monday that medical tests had confirmed the Spain international had suffered only a bruise to his right knee. Barcelona also said Gavi is expected to return to training soon.

“Gavi has a bruise to his right knee, and the medical tests carried out on Monday morning have confirmed that it is only a contusion,” Barcelona said in a statement.

The club added: “He is expected to return to training soon.”

Gavi was injured during Barcelona’s match against Elche, with the incident prompting concern about the extent of the problem. However, the results of the examination have provided a positive update for the Catalan club and its supporters.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick had urged caution when asked about Gavi’s condition immediately after the match. The German said the midfielder was feeling better than initially expected, although he wanted to wait for the results of the medical assessment before drawing conclusions.

“The injury is to the knee, we have to be patient and wait for the results of the tests,” Flick said. “His condition is a little better than expected after he suffered the injury. After the match he was feeling much better, and we will see what happens.”

The update means Barcelona will not have to deal with the immediate concern of a significant knee injury to Gavi as they begin their campaign to defend the La Liga title.

Barcelona produced an emphatic result against Elche in the second round of La Liga, scoring five times without reply. Raphinha and Fermin Lopez each scored twice, while Karim Adeyemi completed the scoring.

The result gave Barcelona their first three points on the road to defending their league title. Their performance was further strengthened by the medical news surrounding Gavi, with the club confirming that his injury is limited to a bruise rather than a more serious problem.

Barcelona’s statement came the day after Flick had spoken about the midfielder’s condition and said the player’s improvement after the final whistle had offered some encouragement. The club now expects Gavi to resume training in the near future, although no specific date for his return was given.