Ansu Fati's future "depends on the end of the season", says Xavi Hernandez

Many Barcelona fans had high hopes for Ansu Fati, who inherited the No 10 shirt from Leo Messi when the Argentine left for Paris Saint-Germain. However, the brilliance of the 'Cules' youth prodigy faded after a serious knee injury. 

Since that injury, the Spanish winger has not been the same and dropped down the pecking order at the Catalan side, to the point where he left on loan last summer for Brighton to see if he could regain his best in the Premier League.

However, the 21-year-old winger has not made the impact he was expected to under De Zerbi and has made just 25 appearances for the Seagulls, nine of them starts, in which he has scored four goals and provided one assist. 

After reports emerged about whether or not Fati has a place in the Barcelona squad, Xavi Hernandez was asked at the La Liga pre-match press conference ahead of the La Liga game against Real Sociedad about a possible return of the academy player. 

"Don’t ask me more about planning for players who are not here. It will depend on the end of the season and the situation we are in," the Catalan coach told reporters.

 

May 12, 2024