Barcelona starlet Gavi was on the receiving end of criticism for his display against Real Madrid the last time the two sides met.

The 18-year-old was involved in several altercations on the pitch, most notably with Dani Ceballos towards the end of the game – as he was deemed to have blatantly fouled the Real Madrid man.

The young Spaniard has been criticised for his aggressive approach to the game by the Los Blancos media, and they claim Gavi lacked sportsmanship on the pitch.

Xavi has however told Gavi to not lose his aggressive nature ahead of Wednesday night’s El Clasico tie.

When asked if he believes Gavi will be targeted by their upcoming opponents, Barcelona boss Xavi replied: “Gavi, for his age, is quite mature. I don’t want him to lose the naturalness he has, he competes very well.”