Barcelona striker Fati optimistic about returning to best form

Madrid, July 26 FC Barcelona striker Ansu Fati says he will be back to his best soon as he battles his way back after two years of injuries.

The 19-year-old Spain international suffered an injury to his meniscus knee ligament in November 2020 and needed four operations in a complicated recovery process.

When it looked like he had left his knee injury behind him, a serious hamstring problem in his side's Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Club Bilbao in January sidelined him until May. Although he was included in Spain's squad for UEFA Nations League matches in June, he didn't play.

Now on tour with Barca in the United States, Fati is optimistic that a return to his best form is just around the corner, reports Xinhua.

"I am working on getting back and I have no doubt with hard work and effort, I will be what I was before. It's true that I'm still not 100 percent, but every day that passes is a day closer to that," he said in an interview with Spain's TV network TV3.

Fati said that it was "normal" to worry about a relapse when you are recovering from injuries, but "it's only the first few minutes, then you forget that and play without fear," he explained.

He also insisted that he had never considered giving up the sport after two difficult years.

"Injuries are something that happens in a footballer's career. I have had worse injuries when I was a junior. I know where I have come from and I am still very young," said the striker, who added he would love to see Leo Messi return to Camp Nou.

"That way, he would be able to say 'goodbye' the way he deserves - the way that the best player in the world deserves," said Fati.