December 10, (THEWILL) – Barcelona have resolved to refrain from the temptation to rush talented youngster Ansu Fati back from his latest injury scare, keeping him out until 2022.
Fati has been out with a hamstring injury since November and had hoped to return in time for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich, but club doctors concluded he was not ready.
When that decision was made, the match against Elche on December 18 was suggested as a possible return date for Fati, but the doctors decided to push that back even further to ensure that the prodigy is fully prepared and relapses avoided.
Fati is set to sit out that match and use the winter break to get up to speed.
He expects to make his long-awaited return against Mallorca on January 2 in the first game of the year.
Fati’s confinement to the treatment room was not chosen lightly. Manager Xavi Hernandez is short on attacking options at the moment, with Memphis Depay joining Sergio Aguero and Martin Braithwaite on the sidelines with a hamstring issue.
Xavi has been looking to wingers and academy stars to fill out his forward line since Luuk de Jong’s departure, with Ilias Akhomach and Ez Abde two of the youngsters to benefit from Fati’s absence.
Xavi clearly wants Fati back now, but there is a recognition that hurrying him back could result in another injury and yet another layoff, so he will be held back until Barcelona is satisfied he is fully fit.
A similar decision has been made in the case of midfielder Pedri, whose return from a more serious hamstring injury has been repeatedly postponed.
Since his return to Camp Nou, Xavi has made it one of his top priorities to figure out the cause of Barcelona’s many injury problems.
Xavi has reshuffled the medical staff, bringing in some of his most trusted physiotherapists, sports scientists, and doctors to deal with Barcelona’s never-ending injury problems.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
