Barcelona manager Hansi Flick appears to be quite high on Ansu Fati, who was the most talented young player in the world just a few years ago before a devastating injury sapped his acceleration and speed.
Fati is still a useful player, but he hasn’t been able to reach those same levels post-injury and recently failed to make an impression at Brighton despite also earning praise from another great manager, Roberto De Zerbi.
Back fit and medically cleared for Barca’s Champions League opener on Thursday night against Monaco, Fati is now the biggest headline because of the intrigue around his role.
Speaking to reporters before the game, Flick was tight-lipped on his exact plan or even position for Fati, but based on his cryptic answer, he seems to be expecting big things for the 21-year-old forward:
“Ansu is ready to play. I know his favourite position but I’m not going to say it here, you’ll be able to see tomorrow what position he plays in. When he’s on the pitch he really enjoys himself and is scoring goals in training.”
Barcelona fans will be careful not to put any pressure on Fati. They will just be happy to see him on the pitch. But we all know how talented he can be, and if Flick, who has brought out the best in the likes of Dani Olmo and Raphinha, thinks he’s legit, then the world had better pay attention to Barcelona vs. Monaco.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.