Ansu Fati must wait: Monaco leave him out against Lens | OneFootball

The forward is already training with the group, but Filipe Luis does not want to take risks

Ansu Fati will have to wait a little longer to play a match again for Monaco. Although the newspaper L’Équipe had reported that the former Barcelona player had a chance of being included in the squad to face Lens this Friday, the forward was ultimately left out of Filipe Luis's list.

The main update is that Fati has already returned to training with the rest of his teammates, after completing an individualized program over the past few weeks. However, French media report that the coaching staff prefer not to rush his return and are targeting a comeback after the next international break.

A preseason injury delayed his debut

Fati has still not played a single minute this season for the Monaco side, either in official matches or during preseason.

The attacker suffered discomfort in his calf during training camp, and Monaco chose to put in place a specific plan to prevent the issue from developing into a more serious injury.

His absence has lasted longer than expected, although his return to full team training is an important step toward his long-awaited debut.

Monaco made a major investment in the former Barcelona player

The French club signed Fati on a permanent deal this summer after paying 11 million euros to Barcelona. The forward signed a contract tying him to Monaco until 2030.

The move came after a season in which Fati scored 12 goals, 11 of them in Ligue 1 and one more in the Champions League.

Now, the goal will be to get back to that level once he is fully ready to return to competition.

Balogun also appears for the first time

The squad list for the match against Lens does include one major new development: Folarin Balogun was included in Monaco’s squad for the first time this season.

The American forward has not played any minutes so far either. His integration into the team was delayed after playing in the World Cup, and he later suffered a knock that kept his return on hold.

Everything points to Balogun starting the match on the bench, while Fati will have to keep working to be available after the international break.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.