JAKARTA - Barcelona striker Ansu Fati is ready to return to the squad for Sunday's La Liga home game against Mallorca after more than three months out with a thigh muscle injury, head coach Xavi Hernandez said.
He has not played for Barcelona since coming on as a substitute against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on January 20. It was his tenth appearance this season.
"We will present the squad list tomorrow (Sunday) and Ansu will be in it. We have seen great things with him and he feels better", Xavi said as quoted by Reuters.
"Over the last two weeks, we have seen a big improvement. If all goes well, he will play for a few minutes. He is happy, he is smiling and he is a player who can make the difference."
"Unfortunately we haven't been able to play him for a few months... I'm happy now that he's back again. He's a special player for us for the last five games."
Ansu Fati, who is 19 years old and born into the youth system at the Catalan club, struggled to recover from several surgeries on his left knee in November 2020.
Barcelona is already without Pedri (thigh), Nico Gonzalez (broken leg), Ousmane Dembele (tonsillitis), Sergino Dest (hamstring), Sergi Roberto (muscle), Samuel Umtiti (leg), and Martin Braithwaite (COVID-19) for the game. Sunday.
With the league title that has been sealed by Real Madrid, Barcelona is aiming to finish to secure a Champions League ticket. They are currently third on 63 points, one point behind second-placed Sevilla, and have played one game more.
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