Barcelona have been riding high recently, but always present in the minds of supporters has been the struggles of Ansu Fati. The teenage winger has been suffering with injury ever since November, with fears growing, as noted by Diario Sport, that such a prolonged spell on the sidelines could harm his development.
Fati tore the internal meniscus of his left knee during a game against Real Betis at Camp Nou, with Dr. Ramon Cugat deciding surgery was the best means of proceeding so as to avoid a potential degeneration of the knee. Four months was the expected period he’d be out for.
Four months has come and gone, however, and now the teenager is considering going under the knife again, for the third time. Fati is consulting with several experts before making a decision, and is currently in Lyon. He’s in the midst of a 15 day stress test, and if his knee can withstand the increased load without swelling things could be looking up and he could return without surgery.
Either way, it’s unlikely Fati will wear blaugrana again this season. Ronald Koeman’s team have just eleven games left to play, ten in La Liga and the Copa del Rey final. It’s also increasingly difficult to envision the forward regaining match fitness in time for Euro 2020. The next couple of weeks will tell a lot.
