Last week, Ansu Fati suffered another injury, this time to his hamstring in training. This time he will be out of action for at least four weeks. The 22-year-old striker's future at Camp Nou is looking more uncertain than ever.
Fati's misfortunes began in November 2019 when he tore the meniscus in his left knee during Barcelona's La Liga match against Real Betis. The injury was so persistent that Fati suffered a relapse, undergoing four surgeries but still could not completely cure it. After being considered completely recovered from that injury, by 2021, Fati had nine more injuries and spent more than 300 days recovering. After that, he was loaned to Brighton and things got worse and worse.
Before Lamine Yamal, Ansu Fati was the brightest young star of La Masia. He was the youngest player of Blaugrana to play in the Champions League, the youngest player to play for the Spanish national team since 1936, the youngest player to score the most goals in the Champions League,... Many records were set but they are now just the past.
Dr Federico Llobet, a surgeon, said in January 2023 that Barca had been too hasty with Ansu Fati's injury. The medical staff who treated Fati at Camp Nou did not comment at the time when the 22-year-old star was constantly in the hospital bed.
Under Hansi Flick, many Barcelona players have recovered in form or continued to show their talent, only Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres are out of that number. Last season's loan at Brighton has so far proven to be meaningless for Fati in regaining his level.
Many staff at Camp Nou refused to reveal Fati's current situation. The only person who spoke frankly about this issue and was not afraid of the young striker's future being affected was former Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian strategist once commented that Fati had a lot of potential but not enough to play in the Premier League. To do that, the young Barca star needs to improve his physical strength, condition and spirit.
Four goals and one assist in 27 appearances for Brighton were a modest return for Fati, before he was injured again in November 2023 and had to rest for 10 weeks, after which he was sent back to Barcelona. In the past few seasons, despite being plagued by injuries, Fati was never put on the sale list by Barca. However, when La Masia is producing many other talents such as Lamine Yamal, the possibility of Ansu Fati leaving Camp Nou is increasingly clear.
Earlier in the season, Ansu Fati suffered a foot injury in the build-up to the US tour when a team-mate stepped on him in training, forcing him to miss pre-season. The last glimmer of hope that Ansu Fati would be able to salvage his career under Hansi Flick has evaporated. Now, he is a natural substitute, but when Flick needs a star to turn a game around, Fati is not a priority.
Currently, the attacking trio Raphinha - Lewandowski - Yamal are scoring the most goals in the top 5 European championships with 37 goals. Especially Yamal, the young Spanish star has had 14 G/A after 16 appearances for Barca since the beginning of the season. Even when Yamal suffered an ankle injury, both Torres and Fati were still not used. This evidence shows that, despite trying to create opportunities for Fati, Flick considered that he had eliminated the 22-year-old striker from the current plan.
5 years ago, Ansu Fati also shone like Lamine Yamal now. It's just a pity that before he could win any great glory like Yamal with EURO 2024, Fati is close to leaving Camp Nou. The future is also very unpredictable when the history of injuries is haunting and his form is no longer the same as before.
