Barcelona's Spain international midfielder Xavi Hernandez said Wednesday that he was improving all the time from the Achilles injury that had placed a cloud over his season.

Xavi has already missed four matches for club and country as a result of the tendon problem which flared up at the start of the summer.

It caused him to need rest after a short summer break and raised worries that the problem could repeat itself repeatedly over the season.

However, speaking in the pages of sports paper Diario AS, Xavi said he was optimistic that his problems were now in the past.

"I am feeling better all of the time. It's true that it was a serious injury with real problems, but we carried out special treatment," he said, before explaining the treatment he had undergone.

"They take blood out of you, spin it in a centrifuge and then apply it on the affected areas. It hurts a lot, in fact you see stars, but everything that hurts helps to cure you," he explained.

Xavi's problems had raised speculations that the 30-year-old was considering leaving international football in order to allow himself more recovery time between games. The midfielder denied that had ever entered his mind.

"I have no intention of leaving the Spain national team. I couldn't do that, it is a thrill to play for them. I aim to be at the 2014 World Cup, even though I will be 34 by then and of course I want to be at the 2012 European Championships," commented the midfielder.

Barcelona had a slow start to the season as several players such as Xavi appeared to show tiredness after winning this summer's World Cup in South Africa, but after excellent wins against Sevilla and Getafe, Xavi believes he and his companions are back to their best.

"Everyone looks strong now and apart from my problem everyone is fine. We had a poor preseason, but everything is perfect now," he concluded.