Ansu Fati facing season-ending surgery as knee recovery stalls again
By Tom Gott
Barcelona winger Ansu Fati has hit yet another wall in his recovery from a knee injury and may need a third surgery, which could bring his season to an end.
The 18-year-old damaged the meniscus in his knee in November 2020 and quickly underwent surgery to repair the issue. However, after months of very little progress, Fati went under the knife for a second time in February to try and get things back on the right track.
According to Catalunya Radio, however, the second operation hasn't corrected the issue either. The new surgery actually became more complicated than doctors had expected and his knee is yet heal after the operation, leaving him nowhere near ready to even contemplate a return to action.
Things weren't helped by a knee infection Fati picked up in March which obviously complicated things and forced the teenager to delay a decision on a new surgery which he still has not officially made.
His initial return was pencilled in for March 10, but it was then pushed back to late April, and now there are genuine fears that we may not see Fati until next season.
The reason surgeons are having such trouble with Fati's knee is that they are trying to repair the meniscus, rather than simply remove it. Taking it out completely would allow Fati to make a quick recovery, but doing so would also drastically raise his chances of suffering long-term knee issues like those of centre-back Samuel Umtiti.
It's become somewhat of a balancing act. Barcelona know Fati is missing some crucial years in his development as a player, but they see that as better than jeopardising his entire career and are trying to find a solution which will work for everyone.
However, with doctors unable to repair Fati's knee with the current method and the winger still unable to walk unaided, they may be left with no choice but to remove the meniscus to give his career any hope of getting back on track.
To keep himself busy, Fati has been doing photoshoots with Esquire, who he told that he hopes to return in some capacity before the end of the season.
"I hope to get back for the last leg of the season and show Spain manager Luis Enrique that I can play at this summer's European Championships," he said.
Fati isn't the only Barcelona player who has been in and out of hospital. Catalunya Radio state that Philippe Coutinho underwent a second surgery of his own in February to try and sort out a knee injury, but fortunately, this one looks to have worked.
Coutinho is expected to return to the team in late April, but it seems highly unlikely that he will be joined by Fati.