20-year-old Barcelona midfielder likely to see his game time increase significantly in April | OneFootball

FC Barcelona got a 3-0 victory over Osasuna as they returned to action after the Match international break. This win allowed the Blaugranes to get three points clear of Real Madrid in the La Liga table.

However, this win did not come without a heavy cost, as the Catalans saw one of their important players, Dani Olmo, getting injured, and the Spaniard is now set to remain on the sidelines for the next three weeks.

This is definitely not an ideal development for Barcelona, but as Diario AS has noted, this injury comes at a good time for Gavi, as it will open a door for him to return to the starting lineup when he is getting back to his best physical level.

Gavi has had a mixed season so far. Hansi Flick gradually made him an important part of his team after he recovered from his injury and the midfielder even became a regular starter in January. However, he has not been enjoying a lot of prominence since mid-February.

Still, he made a good case for more minutes going forward in the last game against Osasuna, as he won 18 duels, made 9 recoveries, completed 5 dribbles, and had 15 ball progressions to his name.

He first employed Raphinha’s position on the pitch but played a more central role, but with Frenkie’s substitution at half-time, he formed a double pivot with Pedri.

Casado is already injured and is expected to remain unavailable till the very end of the season. Thus, Gavi will have two positions where he can get minutes in the coming matches, as a pivot to cover for Casado’s absence, and as an attacking midfielder to cover for Dani Olmo.

Hopefully, the young midfielder will take full advantage of these opportunities to lock himself as a starter once again in Flick’s plans.