Ronald Koeman on Ansu Fati: “There’s a long way to go before he’s back to where he was” | OneFootball

Barcelona fans are in need of a little good news; they’ve got it. Ansu Fati has returned to Ronald Koeman’s squad for tomorrow’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 be celebrated by everyone connected to Barcelona.

Not included in the squad is Frenkie de Jong, who was sent off during Thursday evening’s 0-0 draw at Cadiz. Koeman was also sent off during that game – an uninspiring contest that’s heaped further pressure on the Dutchman – and will sit in the stands.

Fati was injured during a clash with Real Betis at Camp Nou last November. He’s since undergone several surgeries, but is finally beginning to return to fitness. Already a full Spanish international, Fati is a fleet-footed forward and will offer another element to Barcelona going forward when he does return to full speed.

“There’s a long way to go before he’s back to where he was,” Koeman said in pre-match conference in comments carried by Marca. “He won’t recover in two games or in two weeks. We have to be attentive to help him; the most important thing is that he recovers. It depends on his state. We have to work with the medical staff. We’re talking about a young man who will give us a lot of quality, but we have to go little by little.

“He’s very important,” Koeman continued. “First of all for him, we have a plan and we’re going to follow the plan to fully recover Ansu. He’s going to have a process to earn minutes. He’s been called up but he’ll play a maximum of 15 minutes. The most important things is that he recovers well, not fast.”