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Barcelona confirmed on Sunday that Ansu Fati will undergo surgery tomorrow on a knee injury picked up in the 5-2 win over Real Betis in La Liga.
The Catalan giants announced after the match that Fati had suffered a torn meniscus and have now revealed he will go under the knife in a statement on the club’s official website.
The first team player Ansu Fati will undergo surgery tomorrow for the injury to the meniscus in his left knee. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Ramon Cugat under the supervision of the club’s medical services.
Once this intervention is completed, a new communique will be provided with information on the result and the approximate time the player will be out.
Fati was taken off at half-time of the match after picking up the problem and replaced by captain Lionel Messi who had started the game on the bench.
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When Will Ansu Return?
There’s no confirmation yet of how long Ansu Fati will be out of action for but Dr. Ripoll of the Ripoll and De Prado Sport Clinic has told Marca it could be a case of months.
The injury to Ansu Fati has surprised all of us this Saturday evening. Barcelona have communicated an interior meniscus and we are talking about a player of just 18 years of age.
It has to be stitched up and [the meniscus] has to be preserved as it is the shock absorber of the knee that protects the cartilage. Therefore the cartilage needs to be protected at all costs. And for that, the meniscus has to be stitched. We could be talking about a period [of absence] of between three and five months.
It seems Fati will definitely be unable to play again in 2020 and may not be seen again for several months. The news will be a big blow given he’s scored five times for Barca this season and become a regular in Koeman’s starting XI.
How Will Barcelona Replace Fati?
Yet Koeman does have plenty of options when it comes to replacing the talented teenager in his team. Ousmane Dembele, Francisco Trincao, Pedri, and Philippe Coutinho are all options to play on the left of the attack.
Coutinho is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury but is expected to return to action after the international break. Barca’s first game back is against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Fati’s injury may also hand reserve team winger Konrad de le Fuente a rare chance to impress with the senior squad. The American featured in pre-season but is yet make his La Liga debut for the Catalan giants.
Konrad has just been handed his first call-up to the USMNT side for friendlies against Wales and Panama and could make his international debut. The teenager will be hoping his first competitive minutes for Barca aren’t too far away either.
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