In what has been the most demanding injury recovery ever, Barcelona winger Ansu Fati is back and considering a third operation after the knee recovery hit another wall.
The 18-year-old has been missing since November and was only expected to miss a few months after undergoing surgery to fix his problem. But repeated adversity forced him under the knife again and has even left him with the possibility of a third visit to the operating room.
The concern with this third operation is that instead of repairing the meniscus in Fati’s knee, it would simply remove it, and even if this would solve the problem, it would leave the teenager at risk of repeated, long-term knee injuries further down. .
Fati had been desperate to avoid such a procedure and was considered positive about his natural treatment just a few weeks ago, but AS notes that the Spanish international is not making sufficient progress.
The swelling around the knee has subsided and Fati can exercise less, but as soon as he does something strenuous, the pain and swelling will rush back.
Fati is still unable to train Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
He is far behind on his recovery schedule and is still not comfortable walking without help for long periods. Club officials have warned Fati that he must make progress by May 2, after which surgery may be his only option.
Some in Barcelona have already refrained from having to send Fati for a new operation, while the length of his absence indicates that the teenager’s problems will not get better on their own.
Fati just passed his driving test, so life is not so bad!
Fati outweighs the pros and cons of undergoing this surgery. Even if the procedure would give him a risk further down the line, it would probably allow him to return in time to take part in this summer’s European Championships.
At the age of 18, it is understandably low to risk long-term knee problems on Fati’s to-do list, but at this point he fears he may have no choice.
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