He is not ready yet — Ansu Fati suffers setback at Monaco

Ansu Fati's hopes of revitalising his career at Ligue 1 side Monaco appear to be facing early setbacks. The 22-year-old, who left Barcelona for Monaco just a month ago, has yet to feature in any of the club's preseason friendlies.

This situation seems unlikely to change in the remaining warm-up matches. Monaco coach Adi Hütter revealed that Fati is on a specialised training programme designed to prepare him for the bulk of the season. However, it's possible he may miss the start of the campaign. "I want him back as soon as possible, but as we said at the start of pre-season, we have to be careful with Ansu," Hutter said about the injury-prone Spaniard.

"We need to get him up to speed. There's no point rushing him back only for him to get injured or have problems. We are doing everything we can for him. I'm happy with the current squad and we'll see when Fati and Paul Pogba return."

"I think in ten or fifteen days, Fati will be more active in training. For now, he is undergoing treatment. Little by little, we hope to integrate him into the squad. He knows football and is a high-level player. We need to get him fit so he can play good football, respecting our principles," Hütter emphasised.

Monaco has the option to buy Fati next summer, but if his injury struggles continue, a return to Barcelona, where he is likely to be surplus to requirements, seems inevitable. The next ten months are crucial for the forward's career.