DBasia.news – Pedri’s name was registered by the Spanish national team on player who will go to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Barcelona are worried that the 18 year old player will be physically drained if he is not given enough rest.
Pedri is a young player who stood out in the Barcelona squad last season. Coach Ronald Koeman played him 52 times last season, 40 of them as starters. He also managed to score 4 goals and 6 assists.
His performance attracted the attention of the Spanish national team entrenador, Luis Enrique. After giving him his debut in March, he included Pedri in the Euro 2020 squad.
During the tournament, Pedri was always a starter, only being substituted once, namely in the 119th minute of the quarter-final match against Switzerland, or ahead of the penalty shootout.
Imagine how vital the role of the 2002-born midfielder was.
Pedri also managed to lure Spain’s coach for the Olympics, namely Luis de la Fuente. His name was announced as part of the squad that will head to Japan.
This condition has made Barcelona anxious. The gap between the end of Euro 2020 (if Spain is in the final) and the start of the Tokyo Olympics is less than two weeks, and that means Pedri will face a tight schedule.
Even though Pedri is still young, Barca are concerned that his player will be vulnerable to injury, which could disrupt preparations for next season. Even so, Pedri explained that he was aware of the condition.
“Luis de la Fuente spoke to me before the announcement of the Olympic squad. I love to play football, and if I can continue to play,” Pedri told Onda Cero, quoted by Marca.
“But I understand Barcelona’s point of view, moreover I also played a lot last season. But I want to say to Barcelona, that I will arrive at the club healthy and have enough rest,” he explained.
The men’s football Tokyo 2020 Olympics will kick off on July 23, while the first match of the 2021/22 Spanish League will start on August 15.