Paul Scholes' praise of Pedri 'means a lot' as Hansi Flick reacts to Man Utd legend's 'new favourite' label for Barcelona midfielder

Ahead of the 2023-24 season, there were concerns over Pedri's battle with frequent injuries that threatened to hinder his seemingly unlimited potential. However, Flick's arrival in the summer of 2024 revived Pedri. The Spaniard was perhaps the best midfielder in La Liga last season and was often hailed by fans as among the world's best. In fact, Pedri even got Ballon d'Or shouts due to his authoritarian displays and consistency in midfield. He has continued doing what he does best in the current season, earning high praise from former midfielder Scholes. The legendary player took to social media to call Pedri his "new favourite footballer" following his dominant performance in the 2-1 win over Newcastle in the Champions League at St. James' Park last week.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Flick said: "When you're an attacking player, you're more in the spotlight. What Scholes says means a lot; he was a great midfielder. Pedri is at an incredible level, as is Frenkie [de Jong]. I'm very happy with what I see in training, the quality with which we train... the mood is fantastic. You can see that. This mood helps us keep going."

Ever since De Jong returned to full fitness midway in the 2024-25 season, he has been undroppable, forming an incredible midfield partnership with Pedri. The duo maintain possession at will and are immaculate at ball circulation and progression. Such has been their reliability that the likes of Gavi, Marc Casado and Dani Olmo found regular minutes hard to come by.

"I've never had that feeling that people hate him... I'm not on social media," Flick explained. "All the fans see how important he is. It's fantastic to have him on our team. What I see is that he enjoys it. He enjoys training. He helps us and has great quality. He's very important. I talk to him a lot, I want to know things about him and what he thinks. It's incredible."

Barcelona will face Real Oviedo in their next game, which will be played on Thursday. Given the fixture congestion, Flick would have loved to rotate his side against a newly-promoted team. But Gavi has been sidelined for the next four to five months, while Marc Bernal will also not be forced into the starting lineup after he spent the entirety of the 2024-25 out injured.