Barcelona’s Pedri on the pitch during the first leg of the Europa League qualifier against Manchester United at Camp Nou on Thursday, February 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

BARCELONA (AP) — Barcelona midfielder Pedri will be out for some time with a hamstring injury and his availability for games against Manchester United and Real Madrid is in doubt.

Barcelona said on Friday tests revealed their star player suffered a hamstring injury in the 2-2 draw against United in the first leg of the Europa League qualifiers. He came off the substitute after 41 minutes of Thursday’s game at the Camp Nou.

Xavi Hernández’s Barcelona will face Cadiz on Sunday in the Spanish league. Next Thursday they will face United again and on February 26 Almería in the league before hosting Madrid in the opener of the Copa del Rey semi-finals on March 2.

As well as providing the key elements in attack, Pedri has played the most minutes on the pitch for Barcelona this season and scored seven goals. The 20-year-old Spain international has emerged as a crucial goalscorer in recent weeks, netting three times in 1-0 wins over Getafe, Girona and Villarreal as Barca remain top of the domestic league.

He joins midfielder Sergio Busquets and winger Ousmane Dembélé on the disabled list.

In Pedri’s absence, Xavi will likely have to revert to a 4-3-3 line-up, with three midfielders instead of the 4-4-2 he has favored recently.

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