Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has claimed that he did not start Pedro in Tuesday's European Super Cup because the Spaniard was carrying an injury.
The attacker had been expected to replace the unavailable Neymar in the starting XI for the clash in Georgia, but Enrique instead opted for Rafinha.
It came to light during the match that Pedro had asked to leave the Catalan outfit this summer, but Enrique has insisted that did not impact on his decision and has cited an injury as the reason for the Spaniard's absence.
"Pedro has some problems with his adductor muscle and you know about his current status so I picked the man I thought would be best in the circumstances [Rafinha] and I would do the same again. I understand why you're interested [in Pedro's situation] but I'm not going to say any more about it," Enrique told reporters.
Pedro, who scored the game's decisive ninth goal in the second half of extra time against Sevilla, has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United.
Matt Law
