Barcelona teenage star Ansu Fati has spoken of his joy after being a shock inclusion in the Spain senior squad for the first time.
The 17-year-old only debuted for the Under-21 side in October and it comes after a dream debut season for the Blaugrana where he netted eight times in 33 appearances.
Ansu will now be in Luis Enrique’s La Roja squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Germany and Ukraine.
¡Muy contento e ilusionado por esta convocatoria! Gracias a todos por los mensajes, daré lo mejor de mí para aprovechar esta oportunidad 💪 https://t.co/zWnfIWzqRs
— Ansu Fati (@ANSUFATI) August 20, 2020
Fati – born in Guinea Bissau, now has Spanish nationality and also qualifies to represent Portugal – scored and assisted on his first start for the Blaugrana in their 5-2 win over Valencia in September and his level of performance has generated a great level of excitement.
“I’m very happy and excited to be in the squad! Thank you everyone for your messages,” Ansu wrote on his Twitter account. “I’ll give my best to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Luis Enrique said of the teen’s call up, in quotes carried by Diario Sport: “I know Ansu perfectly because of his club. He is at the required standard even if he has not played as much as other players.
“His numbers are excellent. Only Messi has a better goals-per-minutes ratio than he does. It is a marker which shows the incredible talent he has.
“I do not have any problem with calling up young players. He has everything and is part of the present. It is very important he will be with us.”
The game against Germany will be played in Stuttgart on September 3, with the meeting with Ukraine coming three days later and being held at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Madrid.
