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Ronald Koeman offered an update on how injured duo Ansu Fati and Sergi Roberto are progressing ahead of Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday.
Both players have been out of action since November. Fati underwent knee surgery and was ruled out for four months, while Roberto was sidelined for two months with a thigh problem.
Koeman told a pre-match press conference that Roberto will be back in action first and is closing in on a return to first-team action.
Sergi Roberto for sure will be back before Ansu. I don’t want to put exact dates to put pressure on the players. They have to rehab well. For Sergi it could be a couple more weeks, more time with Ansu but they have to recover properly that’s the most important thing.
Both players have traveled with the Barcelona squad to Seville for Sunday’s final against Athletic at the Estadio de La Cartuja. The only first-team players not to make the trip were Gerard Pique and Philippe Coutinho who are also on the injured list.
The team heads to the airport for the flight to Seville, with a full squad apart from Gerard Piqué and Philippe Coutinho, who are recovering from injury in Barcelona. Iñaki Peña, Ilaix, O. Mingueza and Konrad of Barça B are also travelling.
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Fati Back By February?
There’s no doubt that Fati’s injury has been a real blow for Barcelona. The teenager started the season brightly, scoring five times, and was cementing his place in the starting XI.
Yet there is optimism the forward is ahead of schedule regarding his recovery from surgery. According to Javier Miguel at AS, Fati is already “more than halfway through his rehabilitation” and a best-case scenario could see him return by the end of February.
Miguel also reports that Roberto could make his return by the end of the month. Barca play three more fixtures in January after the Spanish Super Cup final, against Cornella in the Copa del Rey and against Elche and Athletic in La Liga.
Koeman Rules Out Neto Exit
Koeman also spoke about goalkeeper Neto’s future amid speculation the Brazilian could leave in the January transfer window. Premier League side Arsenal are keen on Barca’s back-up goalkeeper, according to Sky Sports.
If we talk about players, we talk about youngsters. I’ve said several times for some players it could be good for them to have more minutes to improve as players. Neto is a different case, it’s true his agent asked the club to move on and we said no because he’s important for us and we want to have all positions covered.
Neto enjoyed regular football at the start of the season as first choice Marc-Andre ter Stegen was out after undergoing knee surgery. The German has since returned to action which means Neto is back on the bench and hasn’t featured since the Champions League win over Ferencvaros in December.
The 31-year-old’s current contract runs until 2022-23, but Koeman’s comments suggest he will not see out his deal. Barca could promote 21-year-old Inaki Pena as Ter Stegen’s back-up if the Brazilian does depart.
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Barcelona Boss Delivers Ansu Fati & Sergi Roberto Injury Update