"Messi is a magnificent guy and I hope he can come back"

Pedri Gonzalez has jumped from a promising second division player to one of Xavi's favoured Barcelona first team players in a very short space of time. Because of this, he has quickly become respected amongst fans and the media. In his most recent comments during an interview with 'La Vanguardia', he made it very clear that he would like Messi to return to the team.

"I spent good times with Leo on and off the pitch. He's a great guy so I hope he can come back. I enjoyed playing with him and it's a pleasure to have him as a teammate. When I can, I always watch his matches because you can learn so much from watching the best footballer in the world play. I consider him a friend of mine and when things aren't going well obviously it hurts a little", he revealed.

Questioned on Ousmane Dembele, he said: "I have a great relationship with him and he's a crazy player, he surprises me a lot. You don't know if he's going to be on the left or the right, he plays on whatever side he fancies and it's a blessing to be able to do that. Sometimes I joke about his future, but that's a personal decision for him".

On Xavi and the influence he has had on his game, he explained: "He's a coach who knows exactly what he wants to do with the team and we understand perfectly what he wants from us as individuals. We understand that we have to control the match through possession and that is what he insists on the most".

Pedri played in the 'Clasico' as one of Barca's new recruits and he earnt high praise for his performance in the thrashing of Madrid: "I'll never forget the way we won that game. We went there highly motivated and we did it. We left very happy because it went how we wanted it to, but we did not that result".