Barcelona fans are in need of a little good news; they've got it. Ansu Fati has returned to Ronald Koeman’s squad for today's La Liga clash with Levante at Camp Nou. The teenager is expected to only feature for a short period, but his long-heralded return will indeed be celebrated by everyone connected to Barcelona.
The 18-year-old forward has been sidelined by injury since November 2020. His last outing for Barca came against Real Betis on November 7, 2020, with a succession of knee problems keeping him out of domestic duty and the European Championships with Spain.
Announcing their squad list to face Levante, Barcelona have said on the club's official website of Fati's return: "Ansu Fati has been out of action since the game with Betis on 7 November 2020. That’s ten months, or 322 days, since he was last included in a squad. His return is a huge boost for the team. Since making his debut in 2019-20, he has scored 13 goals and given three assists, beating a number of age records and quickly establishing his name as one of the brightest prospects in world football."
Ronald Koeman is pleased to have Fati back. The Dutch coach, who continues to see questions asked of his future, has told reporters: "There’s a long way to go before he’s back to where he was. Fati was handed the No.32 jersey by Barca when stepping out of their famed La Masia academy ranks. He switched to 21 for the 2020-21 campaign, but that season quickly became one to forget for a youngster being tipped to reach the very top.
Despite his tender years and relative lack of experience, the confident teenager has agreed to inherit the No.10 shirt from Lionel Messi. With an all-time great having departed for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent over the summer, Fati is ready to shoulder even more expectation in Catalunya - with Ronaldinho and Rivaldo among the other notable names to have donned No.10 in the past.