Getty Ansu Fati is consoled by Barcelona manager Xavi.
Barcelona forward Ansu Fati has sent a message to supporters after suffering a fresh injury setback that could mean he does not play again in the 2021-22 season.
Fati took to Instagram with a pretty defiant post in the face of more adversity. He wrote, “Unfortunately I am having to live the worst part of football, but I will never give up! Thank you very much for your messages of support and love! NEVER GIVE UP.”
Fati was injured after coming on as a substitute during Barcelona’s Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic. The Catalan giants have since confirmed the nature of the injury in a post on social media.
“Tests carried out on the first team player Ansu Fati on Friday confirmed that he has a proximal tendon injury in the hamstring of his left leg,” read a statement. “In the coming days the treatment to be carried out will be decided.”
The injury is the latest in Fati’s young but impressive career. The teenager missed most of last season due to a knee injury that required multiple surgeries and meant he only made his comeback in September 2021.
Fati then suffered a hamstring injury in November that kept him sidelined for two months. In total the Spain international has played 10 times for Barcelona in the current campaign, scoring five times.
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Fati To Have More Surgery?
Barcelona and Fati must now decide whether to undergo another operation in a bid to cure his latest issue. The attacker is said to be “reluctant” to go under the knife because he has bad memories of knee surgery where “many mistakes were made,” as reported by Javi Miguel at Diario AS.
Coach Xavi told a press conference ahead of Barcelona’s La Liga trip to Alaves that a decision would be made on Monday, January 24 regarding a treatment plan for the forward, as reported by ESPN.
“We have had a meeting with the family and on Monday we will have a meeting with Ansu and the club doctors to make a decision,” he said. “It’s a recurring injury. It’s out of our control. We will now get an exhaustive and specific plan in place to ensure that he never gets injured again.”
Xavi also admitted that Fati had been “very affected” after suffering yet another injury problem and added the club want to find a way to fix his physical issues once and for all.
“It’s a pity. He had just recovered his confidence and was doing well. He is very affected. We need him, we have lost an impressive footballer, so it affects us all but most of all, Ansu,” he added. We have to recover him mentally and make him forget about the injuries. We have to be positive and hope that he doesn’t get injured anymore.”
Meanwhile, Miguel adds that club doctor Ricard Pruna has advised Fati to opt for surgery and adds that if he does go under the knife he will miss the rest of the season. A more conservative treatment plan would see Fati sidelined for only 8-10 weeks but risks the possibility of further relapses.
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