22-year-old Barcelona player left out of matchday squad for the third time in a row | OneFootball

It is with incredible disappointment that one would have to say this but it does look like Ansu Fati’s time in a Barcelona jersey is over. Hansi Flick has left him out of the third successive matchday squad, clearly sending a message to the Spaniard.

Ansu Fati was expected to be to Barcelona what Lamine Yamal is today. Breaking out as a 16-year-old, that version of the Spanish attacker was a sight to behold and he had an incredible future ahead of him at the Catalan club.

Every single Barcelona fan now hopes they could go back in time and tell Ronald Koeman not to play Ansu Fati against Real Betis on that fateful day. As coincidental as it might end up being, it could be the exclusion from a game against the same opponents that could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for his career here.

It is sometimes very easy to forget that Fati is still just 22 years old. As revealed by Mundo Deportivo, he has now been omitted from the matchday squad for the third successive game by Hansi Flick and this is a Copa del Rey encounter at that.

Hansi Flick revealed quite candidly in yesterday’s press conference what Ansu Fati needed to do to win back his trust. However, this might be the German manager’s way of telling the player that he is no longer in the scheme of things.

For the sake of a career that was destined for the very best and where there is ample time to salvage, Fati needs to leave Barcelona this transfer window, either on loan or permanently and find a way to get regular game time.

To do that, however, Ansu Fati will have to remain injury-free, which has been a huge issue for him in recent seasons. His body is simply not listening to him anymore and it is not often that you see Flick give up on a player.

It remains to be seen if the Barcelona academy graduate has any hope of salvaging his faltering career but if one was to venture a guess, they would consider this the end. Let’s wait and see how Fati’s future plays out in the coming weeks.