'Gifted' Barcelona star ready for Man United clash and proved credentials with 'tidy room'

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Bursting on to the Barca scene under former boss Ronald Koeman, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife-born midfielder continues to reap the rewards with the Catalan giants.

Already a Golden Boy award winner, a regular in the Spain national team, having featured at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Pedri is now tasked with helping his side get past Erik Ten Hag's troops.

However, his rise would not have happened had it not have been down to his former club Las Palmas, who natured and guided him from such a young age.

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"From the junior division stage in Tegueste, Pedri was followed by the scouting department, we watched him closely throughout," Tonono Rodriguez tells talkSPORT.com.

"He received an extensive follow-up from his childhood and cadet stage in the Juventud Laguna youth, which confirmed all of his initial expectations."

Rodriguez reveals that contact with his family was key to ensuring they secured his signature ahead of other sides.

"I believe that anticipation and direct contact with Pedri and family were crucial in us being able to bring him to our club," he said.

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"From when he joined us, you could tell straight away he was different from the rest. He was was a young boy whose football intelligence and technical ability were far superior to those of his peers.

"He excelled at sports, football mainly, but he also loved tennis and was great at that too."

"In the early stages, his technical abilities, spontaneity, creativity, and ability to solve all situations was there to see.

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"It was simple thing like keeping his room tidy in the Yellow House [Las Palmas' youth academy accommodation], which made us realise his attention to detail was there from someone so young."

Rodriguez also touched on Pedri's technical ability and coordination of being able to understand the game.

"In the following stages, his football intelligence was defined as the ability to understand the game in addition to his technical skills.

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"With Pedri, we must be prepared for him to surprise us every day because he has a lot of room for improvement. He is a gifted football player, and he standouts because of himself."