Ansu Fati Could Be Set to Miss Next 7 Barcelona Games Due to Under-17 World Cup
Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati could be set for a month away from the club if he is called up to represent Spain at the upcoming Under-17 World Cup.
The 16-year-old has been a revelation for Barcelona this season. Having been drafted into the first team to cope with the absences of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, Fati has racked up two goals and one assist in three outings.
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His impressive form has seen Spain beat Portugal in the race for his international allegiance and, according to Sport, Fati could be set to represent La Furia Roja at the Under-17 World Cup if his Spanish passport arrives in time.
The competition is set to begin on 26th October and end on 17th November, meaning Fati could miss up to seven Barcelona games if Spain reach the final of the tournament.
He would miss La Liga clashes with Eibar, Real Madrid, Real Valladolid, Levante and Celta Vigo, as well as both the home and away legs of their Champions League group stage meeting with Slavia Prague.
Having said that, it is far from a certainty that Fati will be eligible. The process to hand him his Spanish nationality has already begun, but there are plenty of hurdles to overcome.
Firstly, Fati's father must earn his own Spanish nationality, which itself can take a while. However, Spain manager Robert Moreno has asked for the process to be accelerated, whilst they could even turn to the court to get things sorted even faster, just as they did with Diego Costa in 2013.
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Should they be successful, it would mean that Fati would leave Camp Nou. Fortunately, with Suarez and Messi both returning to action, losing the 16-year-old would not be too painful for La Blaugrana.
