Mueez Ajao
– Barcelona forward Ansu Fati is in line to make his return to action this weekend after over 10 months out with a serious knee injury.
– The 18-year-old has not played since injuring the meniscus in his left knee in a 5-2 win over Real Betis last November.
– Several operations have been required to fix the problem, but the Spain international returned to full training earlier in September and he has been included in the squad for Sunday’s LaLiga game against Levante.
Also Read: All eyes on Ansu Fati as he replaces Messi as Barcelona’s No. 10
– Coach Ronald Koeman said that Ansu, who recently inherited the No.10 shirt from Lionel Messi, is only ready for a “maximum of 15 minutes” and warned that it could take a while for him to return to top form.
– “It’s very important to have him back, firstly for the player himself, because he has been out for a really long time,” Koeman said in a news conference on Saturday. “We have a plan with him and we will continue to follow that plan to ensure he returns properly.
– “It’s going to take time for him to get back to where he was before the injury. We won’t look to run with him before we can walk. It will depend on his response and briefings with the medical team. We’re talking about a young player who will add a lot of quality to the team, but we have to take it step-by-step.”
– Ansu was Barca’s top scorer last season at the time he picked up the injury, with five goals from 10 games.. In the previous campaign, he had become the club’s youngest ever scorer in LaLiga and the youngest in the Champions League for any team.
– In total, he has made 41 appearances for the first team, scoring 13 goals.
– Barca, who have nine points from their first five league games, will be without Jordi Alba, Pedri, Dembele, Aguero and Braithwaite against Levante this weekend, while Frenkie de Jong is serving a one-match ban.
– The Catalan side then have two away games next week, travelling to Benfica in the Champions League before taking on reigning champions Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano next Saturday.
