Barcelona head coach Xavi has said that Gavi's recovery from a serious knee injury is going "better than expected".

The midfielder suffered a complete tear of his ACL and also damaged his lateral meniscus while representing Spain during the November international break.

Gavi will not play again this season, and there had been fears over the length of his recovery due to the seriousness of the damage.

However, speaking ahead of Sunday's La Liga clash with Granada, Xavi revealed that the teenager is making a "textbook, perfect recovery", as he bids to return to action next season.

The 19-year-old had been a vital player for Barcelona in the early stages of the campaign before his injury, scoring twice and registering one assist in 15 appearances in all competitions.

"It's going very well, better than expected, but Gavi is good, he would like to be there now, but he can't. He's making a textbook, textbook, perfect recovery," Xavi told reporters during his press conference on Saturday afternoon.

"He's happy, he's taking it on, I see him very involved with the group. Despite not being on the field, he is a very important person for the group."

Barcelona will be aiming to make it three straight wins in La Liga when they host Granada on Sunday, and Xavi is expecting a tough examination despite the team's struggles this term.

Granada are currently 19th in the table, picking up just 12 points from their 23 matches this season, which has left them eight points from safety.

:Granada changed coaches. I think that with [Alexander] Medina they have bettered in defensive fear, aggressiveness of duels," Xavi added during his press conference.

"We imagine a Granada in low block, in need of points, that has improved. Difficult rival with needs. We need the support of the fans to continue with the good streak.

"Leaving the club? I made it very clear: it doesn't have to change anything. The decision was right, because the club needed a change of dynamics. And seeing the team's reaction, I think it was the right decision and it doesn't change anything."

Barcelona are currently third in the La Liga table, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid.

The Catalan outfit have another two league matches against Granada and Celta Vigo before heading to Napoli for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash on February 21. body check tags ::