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Barca confirmed Gavi will likely be out until February after the 21 year-old had an arthroscopy to resolve a medial meniscus injury.

Gavi only returned from an anterior cruciate ligament tear last season, which forced him to miss Spain's triumph at Euro 2024, and he had not appeared in LaLiga since the international break.

Gavi will not be Barca's only big-name absentee when it visits Real Oviedo for their sixth LaLiga game of the season on Friday, with Lamine Yamal also missing due to a groin injury, though he could return to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next week.

Asked about Gavi's latest setback at the pre-match press conference, Flick said: "When you receive news like this, you think it's bad news. 

"But personally, for him, it's good. Now we know what needs to be done. He is 21 years old and has a very long career ahead of him. 

"You have to think about this, that he gets in shape 100% and stays strong. He must be a professional and work hard."

Barca had two players finish in the top five of the Ballon d'Or voting earlier this week, with Yamal second and Raphinha fifth, as its former forward Ousmane Dembele was crowned the best player in the world.

Pedri ranked 11th, and Flick believes he was at a disadvantage compared to his attacking team-mates.

"When you're an attacker you have more focus." Flick said. "Pedri is at an incredible level, as is Frenkie [de Jong]. I'm very happy with what I see in training, the mood is very good, and it helps us to continue growing."

While Barca sits second in LaLiga with 13 points from five matches, five adrift of Real Madrid with a game in hand, Real Oviedo is 19th with one win and four defeats.