BARCELONA wonderkid Ansu Fati faces months out after injuring his knee in Saturday’s 5-2 home victory over Real Betis.
Fati’s half-time replacement Lionel Messi transformed a 1-1 stalemate into a romp with a double as Barca won for the first time in five LaLiga games.
Barca and Spain teenager Ansu Fati feels the pain with a rupture that seems sure to rule him out until the new yearCredit: Rex Features
Record-breaking starlet Ansu Fati was replaced by match-turner Lionel Messi at half-time after this knee injury against Real BetisCredit: AP:Associated Press
But that inspirational intervention failed to overshadow 18-year-old Spain winger Fati rupturing the internal meniscus on his left knee.
Barca soon confirmed the injury, with LaLiga’s player of the month for September likely to be out until the new year.
That’s a major blow for club and country in a sensational breakthrough season for the four-cap starlet.
Fati has already hit five goals in ten matches this term, including becoming the youngest El Clasico scorer, at 17 years and 359 days old.
And he is certainly an expert at lowering the age mark for records at the highest level.
Last term he became the youngest scorer for Barcelona in LaLiga and also for any team in the Champions League.
And two months ago he set a new low age mark for Spain when he struck against Ukraine in the Nations League.
Now, though, Fati is tipped to sit out Barca’s huge league trip to leaders Atletico Madrid later in November and is doubtful for the Spanish Super Cup, set for January in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the maestro he is backed to eventually succeed as a Nou Camp legend showed he is still the main man.
Messi, 33, took his season’s tally to seven, albeit his second strike of the night was the first goal he has scored NOT from the penalty spot.
Ousmane Dembele had fired Barca in front and Antoine Griezmann had a penalty saved, but Antonio Sanabria rifled Betis level.
Messi then helped provide Griezmann’s goal and netted twice himself, with Pedri bagging a late fifth.
Betis defender Aissa Mandi saw red for handling Dembele’s shot on the line, giving Messi his sixth successful penalty of the campaign.
And although Moron briefly made it 4-2, Messi had a hat-trick goal ruled out for a Roberto offside before Pedro’s clincher.
Ousmane Dembele shows off his skills in training with Barcelona
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
