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The brother of Barcelona midfielder Pedri has replied angrily to a fan account for calling out the midfielder over his fitness issues. The midfielder was in action for La Blaugrana in their El Clasico defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday (April 21), having come off the bench in the first half.
Pedri has had to contend with a great deal of injury problems since his emergence as a first-team regular for the Spanish champions, including this season. The Spaniard often shows his quality for the side, but the fans are hardly able to enjoy watching him for a sustained period.
Barcelona fan account Barcelonismos, which boasts over 99,000 followers on X, called out the Spain international for his fitness problems and unavailability. They referred to him as a wasted talent, criticizing his activities with his brother at night.
The star's brother, Fernando Gonzalez, took to Instagram to articulate a foul-mouthed response to the post, criticizing it for assumptions against his brother. He said that the account had no idea what he does with his brother and challenged them to provide the information.
"Tell me what we do? You can like my brother's sporting career more or less, but to question his work and commitment is to be ignorant and to not know us at all. You are an b*****d and a liar," he said (via Barca Universal).
Since joining La Blaugrana from Las Palmas aged just 16, Pedri has established himself as one of the world's finest young midfielders. The 21-year-old has featured 28 times across all competitions this season, with only 18 of these coming in the league.
Pedri has already missed 19 games through injury this season, more than he did in the entirety of last season. He has played only 1,718 minutes, the equivalent of 18 full matches, this season, showing how much injuries have limited him.
Manchester City star keen on Barcelona switch: Reports
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva is keen to join Spanish champions Barcelona after a successful spell in England. The Portugal international is edging closer to a summer exit from the English champions, where he has played since 2017.
The 29-year-old had a £50 million release clause inserted into his contract at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the 2023-24 season and may be prepared for a move. According to Football Espana, the former AS Monaco man is, in fact, actively looking to join Barcelona.
Silva would be a valuable asset to Xavi or whoever replaces him at the Spanish club due to his superb positional intelligence. The midfielder has reaped the benefits of playing under Pep Guardiola and could join Ilkay Gundogan in moving to Catalunya.
