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When it comes to injuries, Barcelona just cannot catch a break.
According to reports published by ESPN and Marca, Barcelona winger Ansu Fati felt significant discomfort in the patellar tendon near his knee and had to remove himself from Friday's training session.
The 17-year-old Barcelona forward has been a breakthrough star for the Catalans this season and his dynamism on the left flank has made him one of the club's brightest prospects.
Ansu Fati is one of the select few Barcelona players to have maintained a respectable level of fitness over the past year. However, the winger did injure his right knee last September and had to sit out of a fixture against Getafe.
The teenage sensation's latest injury scare should be a cause of concern for Barcelona's medical staff and administration. The Catalan club has faced several issues with recurring injuries in the past and cannot afford to have Ansu Fati be yet another addition to the list.
Barcelona's medical staff expects injury numbers to shoot up
Barcelona has ensured that its players work on their fitness during the long and unexpected break. Regaining match fitness, however, is a different ball-game altogether.
The Catalan team has set out a training plan with well-defined stages to ensure that the team's return to professional football does not exact too much of a toll on its players.
Several Barcelona stars including Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez could be seen taking part in an intense training match earlier this week. The club wants its team to be at the top of Spanish football and losing players to injury at this stage of the season is simply not an option.
In the first week of May, Barcelona's medical staff sent out a stern warning and told the club that a sudden increase in workload will likely lead to several injuries after the La Liga restart. The news will not be well-received by Quique Setien's camp as the team is already struggling to cope with the absence of charismatic winger Ousmane Dembele.
Ousmane Dembele has spent most of his time in Catalunya on the sidelines. The French winger has not been able to cope with Barcelona's demands and is yet to make his mark at the club.
Ansu Fati, on the other hand, has already created ripples in the world football. The teenager became the youngest scorer in La Liga's history with a goal against Osasuna earlier in the season.
The winger also replicated his incredible feat in the Champions League and became the competition's youngest scorer at 17 years of age with a stunning strike against Serie A giants Inter Milan.
Quique Setien has continued to place faith in the Barcelona youngster and Ansu Fati seems intent on repaying it. The recent injury scare can potentially be a massive blow to the youngster's place in the first team.
Barcelona is currently at the top of the La Liga table but cannot afford a moment's rest with arch-rivals Real Madrid only 2 points behind the league leaders. With only eleven games to go, the Catalan side will need all hands on deck if they are to defend their La Liga title.
