Rising Barcelona star Ansu Fati will be sidelined in the next four months or longer following knee surgery, the La Liga giants confirmed. The teenager suffered an injury during the Saturday match with Real Betis, which the Catalans won at 5-2.
Fati started making his mark in the club last season by scoring in a Champions League match that earned him the distinction as the competition's youngest goalscorer to date. The Spaniard was 17 at that time and Barcelona quickly elevated his status as the club's future.
Fati sustained his brilliance on the pitch in the ongoing campaign and on the 10 games he played so far, the 18-year-old cleared the net five times.
However, the Barca man will be forced to take a long break and The Guardian reported that the star could be out a minimum of four months. Fati ruptured the internal meniscus in his left knee and the surgery performed by doctors will require to take an extended period of rest.
Barcelona assured that the medical procedure was a success and the youngster will recover fully in due time. The medical update issued by the club indicated that Fati is doing well and could return to active play within the season.
"Ansu Fati has undergone a successful operation on Monday for the injury to the internal meniscus of the left knee by Dr. Ramon Cugat and under the supervision of the club's medical services. The approximate time of recovery will be four months," said the statement from the club.
But Fati's recovery and rehabilitation would likely take longer than expected. According to Goal, the player could be out of action longer than the estimates provided by Barcelona and Fati is likely to miss many matches both in La Liga and the Champions League for the season.
Should that be the case, Barcelona will certainly miss an emerging talent that could be primed for an explosion in the next few seasons. The Spanish side clearly views Fati as a promising talent that will soon take the place of the aging stars.
Barcelona characterized the young forward as an important element of the club's campaign. Fati contributed actively to the team's cause and his attacking presence was felt consistently in the past fixtures.
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman started the youngster in the game against Real Betis but Fati reported discomfort and was pulled out at the start of the second match. In his place, Lionel Messi took on the pitch and scored two goals to secure the home game for the Catalans.
It is assumed that Fati will further shine with Barcelona if Messi will end up leaving the side at the end of the season. The Barca captain made a transfer request in August but decided to see through his contract to avoid legal problems.
