Barcelona star Gavi forced off the pitch after sickening clash of heads

The Barcelona wonderkid was lining up against Alaves in LaLiga when an aerial duel led to a sickening clash of heads opponent Tomas Conechny.

As Conechny rose up to head the ball, Gavi was late to the duel and inadvertently collided with the side of the Alaves star's head.

With both players on the ground, both Barcelona and Alaves' medical team immediately entered the pitch - as well as the medical team of the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys to check on the wellbeing of both players.

The Alaves medical team immediately signaled that Conechny would need to be replaced, with two stretchered ordered onto the pitch for the players.

But while Conechny made his way off, a clearly groggy Gavi eventually rose to his feet and over to the sidelines, walking past the stretcher in the process.

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Despite Fermin Lopez being stripped and ready to enter the field of play, Gavi was insistent on continuing the game - despite the instructions of Barcelona's medical team.

Barca skipper Ronald Araujo was the first player to tell the 20-year-old to stay off the pitch, before the medical team had another word.

Raphinha then spoke to the young midfielder with his arm around him with a look of concern on his face.

As he made his way to the halfway line, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick then spoke to the player and told him that he wouldn't be going back on to the pitch.

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As a result Gavi accepted the decision and made his way to the dressing room with teammate Lopez replacing him.

Meanwhile Conechny was driven off the pitch on a stretcher and in a neck brace in worrying scenes for the Alaves star.

In total it led to a five-minute delay which contributed to a huge six-minute stoppage at the end of the first half.

After the game, Flick said: "Gavi wanted to continue playing, but it's not his decision, it's the doctor's, and you have to respect it.

"He's a player who always wants to play, but you have to take care of him."

Gavi is a product of the famous La Masia academy and has gone on to become one of Barcelona's star men.

Despite being just 20, the Spaniard has made 132 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and providing 17 assists from midfielder.

He's regarded as one of the club's exciting new generation of stars along with Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, Pedri and Lamine Yamal.

The injury comes just days after he penned a lucrative new deal to commit his future to the club until 2023.

It's reported that the deal includes a €1 billion (£836million) release clause.

Thankfully for Barca, Gavi's injury didn't disrupt them as Robert Lewandowski struck to earn a 1-0 win.

With Real Madrid losing to Espanyol on Saturday, it means that the Catalan side are now just four points behind league leaders Los Blancos in the LaLiga table.