MADRID — Teenager Ansu Fati was called up for Spain’s national team again on Monday after a long injury layoff, AP reported.
Spain coach Luis Enrique included the 19-year-old Barcelona forward in the list of 25 players selected for the four Nations League matches “La Roja” will play in June.
Fati hasn’t played with Spain since a Nations League game against Ukraine in October 2020. He was marred by knee and muscle injuries and only recently returned to the Barcelona squad. He scored one goal in five Spanish league appearances in May, all coming off the bench.
“Ansu Fati is a special case. We are not going to take any risks with him,” Luis Enrique said. “His hasn’t played much recently. We want to see him practice and see him regain his confidence. He is a very important player and we want him to be playing at his best level again.”
Born in in Guinea-Bissau, Fati was touted as one of Spain’s most promising players but he struggled to live up to expectations because of injuries. He was set to make Spain’s European Championship squad in 2020 but eventually was left out after the competition was delayed because of the pandemic and took place while he was still recovering from one of his injuries.
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