Ansu Fati's moment? With Dembele banned, youngster could return

Ansu Fati is about to turn 17 (he was born on Oct. 31 2002) and is currently learning about another side of football: being a substitute. For the Spain U21 international, though, it's nothing to worry about, because Ernesto Valverde and the coaches at the club will know how to protect him, guide him and help him continue growing: on and off the pitch. 

Up, down 

What has caught the attention is that he has 'disappeared' from lineups in the same way he burst on to the scene in August. It's been a month since he played. It's true he had a small injury that ruled him out for 10 days, though, and then there was an international break. 

With a young player who is still growing, it's always better to be cautious with the type of knee problem he had. 

In any case, he played six consecutive games earlier in the season, five in La Liga and one in the Champions League. He started two big games, against Valencia and Borussia Dortmund. Those games coincided with injuries to Leo Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez. Carles Perez was also helping out.

Goalscorer 

Remember that he scored against Osasuna and then against Valencia. In just a few short days he went from U19 player to first-team debutant, with all the media attention that comes with that rapid change. He broke records, becoming Barca's youngest ever scorer in La Liga. 

However, since the 17 minutes against Villarreal, when he came on for Luis Suarez, he's not played for the club again. One month exactly, missing the games against Getafe, Inter, Sevilla, Eibar and Slavia Prague.

Is it his time again now? Valverde won't want to halt his progress and that means he needs quality minutes. He's training with the first team but games are a different story. With Dembele suspended, Tuesday's league game against Real Valladolid is another chance to give him minutes. 

Ansu has shown he's not afraid of any challenge. We know Valverde trusts him and the fans are eager to see him in action again.