Barcelona will have a decision to make this summer when Ansu Fati returns to the club, after a disappointing loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion. Around the same time, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi will likely be returning from the Euros with Spain, and Fati has given the Blaugrana a word of warning when it comes to the pair.
Speaking in an interview with MD, Fati explained that like everyone else, he had been surprised by the quality of Pau Cubarsi, who came into the team in January, and barely left it.
“The truth is, yes, but like everyone else. Playing at that level at 16 or 17 years old is very difficult, you have to be a very focused and very capable boy. The only thing I would ask is that they protect them a little more, because now everything is going very well and, when things don’t go so well, I ask that they protect them. In the end, we are kids who mature earlier but it is difficult. In a club like Barca there is a lot of responsibility and the club itself has to protect its players.”
Fati: "I'm 21 years old, but I've experienced a lot."
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 3, 2024
Similarly, he demanded that Lamine Yamal was also protected by the club, hinting that he perhaps did not have the protection required through his constant battles with injuries over the last few years.
“I crossed paths with him a lot last season, in training and games. For me he is a star and has everything to reach the best in the world. He is already on the right path but I think we have to take care of him and give him everything he needs to get there. He is a player who can give a lot to the club and, above all, we have to protect him. When he fails, he should know that he has people there to support him and that no matter what happens they will be with him.”
Few should know better than Ansu, who made his debut at 16 years of age, and was becoming a crucial player for the Blaugrana, before getting a serious knee injury. With the Blaugrana in danger of missing out on qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League, he was rushed back to fitness, and scored a crucial goal, but has yet to look the same since.
