Barcelona's Ansu Fati to miss Atlético clash and beyond
It was a very positive win over Real Betis for Barça and their manager Ronald Koeman, but it came at quick a cost with their rising star set to be out for a while.
It was an important win for Barcelona and Ronald Koeman in matchday 9 of LaLiga Santander, but there was some bad injury news to come out of it.
Ansu Fati blow after Betis victory
Barça's Spanish forward Ansu Fati appears to be set for several months on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury in the 5-2 home win over Real Betis on Saturday, one in which there was a rare start on the bench for talisman Lionel Messi.
A statement from the club said that Fati, who turned 18 last month, had ruptured the internal meniscus in his left knee and that the club were currently weighing up different treatment options, without giving details on when he could expect to return.
Young star to miss Atlético clash
Fati was included in the Spain squad for their upcoming fixtures against the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany but is unlikely to return to action for the rest of the year. He is also set to miss Barça's crunch Liga trip to Atlético Madrid later this month and will be a doubt for the Spanish Super Cup, set to be held in January in Saudi Arabia.
The young forward has been one of the Blaugrana's best performers so far this season, scoring five goals in 10 appearances in LaLiga and the Champions League. Last season he became the club's youngest ever league goalscorer and the youngest scorer in the history of the Champions League. A goal in a Nations League match with Ukraine in September, meanwhile, made him the youngest player to score for Spain.