Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino has admitted that he is finding it difficult to leave Pedro out of his starting XI this season.

The Spanish international has scored 11 times in 25 games for the Spanish champions this season, but has struggled to secure a regular spot in the team.

"I always end up repeating myself in case of the boys who do not play more. Pedro does not need to be a world champion, win the European Championship, there are so many things he has done with Barca," Martino told reporters at a press conference.

"But I have a lot of strikers, [Lionel] Messi, Neymar, Alexis [Sanchez], [Cristian] Tello. It is hard to leave him out because then he only gets eight minutes against Villarreal. He is in good form and precise in front of goal. I do not need to evaluate Pedro, he alone gives us many things."

Pedro has recently been linked with a move away from Camp Nou.