A recurrence of the medial meniscus in Gavi's right knee would force him to undergo surgery and definitely lose his meniscus.
Gavi suffered a small tear in the medial meniscus of his right knee at the end of September. An injury that was initially minor, but which a series of circumstances, including some blatant mistakes by the people closest to him, ended up turning into a real nightmare. And it is that an injury that could have been recovered in about five weeks - if he had been operated on when the club advised him - ended up being extended to five months.
Gavi has lived a real calvary since he knew he had to go under the knife because the conservative method had not only stalled, but the tear was growing alarmingly.
After undergoing arthroscopic surgery by surgeon Juan Carlos Monllau, where his meniscus was sutured to the limit, he was given a prognosis of between four to five months. Right now, he has entered the fourth month, but the club has made it very clear that he will go to the long prognosis, so he will not be discharged until the end of February.
And when he is discharged, he will still have a long journey through the desert ahead. The player himself is aware that any attempt to return earlier could be catastrophic for his career. Gavi knows perfectly well that he is playing with fire, and no matter how much he wants to feel like a footballer again, he must follow all the steps, prioritizing his meniscus over his impetuosity.
In fact, the club has made it very clear that a relapse would mean directly removing the medial meniscus, opening the door to degenerative arthritis and shortening his professional career by five to six years.
According to what AS has been able to learn, those in the dressing room would be satisfied if he already plays some games regularly as a starter in the month of April. And it is that they are also aware that the player has the World Cup looming, so he needs to be on the pitch as soon as possible to assert himself in front of the coach.
In any case, Hansi Flick is very clear: the player's meniscus is a priority. He will not be forced, no matter how much the player and his entourage push. There is neither a need nor will there be any wrong steps taken. The player's injury history calls for being very cautious and prudent in this regard. A mistake could derail the professional career of a player who is called to be one of the pillars of FC Barcelona and the national team.