Barcelona at blame for Pedri’s injury issues, says Spain star: “If they had given him the rest…”

During his time at Villarreal, Pau Torres was a constant feature on Spanish headlines. His consistent performances with The Yellow Submarines earned him a good reputation and a regular place in the Spanish National Team.

At one point, the player was also on Barcelona’s wishlist. The Catalans saw him as a player with an optimal profile and good ball-playing skills. Eventually, however, they found their men in Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen.

Speaking to the media earlier this week (h/t SPORT), the now Aston Villa defender revealed that he had reached out to Barcelona’s Pedri recently to give him words of encouragement amidst his difficult fight with injuries.

“Yes, I contacted Pedri because I saw that he didn’t hook up a dynamic of more than ten games playing and it’s difficult. He does not have to be in a hurry.”

“His body will say when he is ready and hopefully, I am sure, that with the work he is doing, I hope that this is already his last injury and that we will only see him on the field, which is where everyone wants to see him,” he added, praying for his compatriot’s speedy recovery.

Torres also went on to blame Barcelona for the midfield genius’ injuries and stressed that fact that the player was overworked in his initial days at the club.

“If Barça had given Pedri the rest that he needed, he would be in better physical shape now. He hasn’t been able to fully recover, and is not enjoying football,” he said.

“Pedri returned [from the Olympic Games] and started the season. He simply stopped for a week, during the first national team break, it seems to me. I think that, unfortunately, he didn’t finish recovering from that moment and it is something that he carries with him.”

Torres was one of La Liga’s best defenders in recent years. But his association with the Spanish league ended in 2023 when Aston Villa shelled out €33 million for his signing.

Nevertheless, he revealed that a return to Spain would be a no-brainer if one of the big two clubs made an offer.

“I would never reject a team like Real Madrid or Barcelona, you can never reject them.”