Barcelona forward Ansu Fati will be sidelined for four months after undergoing knee surgery, the La Liga club said on Monday.
Fati, who turned 18 last month, ruptured the internal meniscus in his left knee during Barcelona's 5-2 home win over Real Betis on Saturday.
"Ansu Fati has been operated on successfully by Dr. Ramon Cugat... under the supervision of the Club's medical staff," Barcelona said in a statement.
"The player will be out for approximately four months."
Fati will miss Barca's Liga trip to Atletico Madrid later this month, the remainder of the Champions League group stages and the Spanish Super Cup, set to be held in January in Saudi Arabia.
Fati has been one of Barca's standout performers this season, scoring five goals in 10 appearances in La Liga and the Champions League.
Last season he became the club's youngest ever league goalscorer and the youngest scorer in the history of the Champions League.
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Barca player ratings v Betis
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BARCELONA RATINGS v REAL BETIS: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen – 7. He won’t be happy at conceding twice but he could do little about either Betis goal. He did, however, make a fine save to deny William Carvalho. AP -
Jordi Alba – 6. It was from Alba’s cross that Messi stepped over for Griezmann to convert to open the scoring, but he wasn’t allowed his usual space to roam forward. . EPA -
Gerard Pique – 6. Another tricky night for Pique, who’s decision making let him down. He reacted slowly on both occasions when Sanabria and Loren found the net. AP -
Clement Lenglet – 6. Returning to the side after missing the game against Dynamo Kyiv in the week, he had a tough evening trying to contain Betis’ attackers. AFP -
Sergi Roberto – 5. Despite returning to the side and registering two assists, for Messi and Pedri, he had a difficult afternoon trying to contain Christian Tello. Getty -
Sergio Busquets – 5. A poor first half saw Busquets struggling to get his foot on the ball, but that improved as Barca edged ahead after the break. AFP -
Frenkie De Jong – 6. Looked a threat in the Real Betis half and offered Barca plenty of options when going forward, but still failed to protect his defence at the other end. AFP -
Pedri – 6. The youngster scored Barca’s fifth goal but was quiet overall. There was the occasional glimpse of quality, but not enough consistency. EPA -
Ousmane Dembele – 7. A fine performance, he scored the opening goal with a ferocious shot that caught Claudio Bravo by surprise in the Betis goal. EPA -
Ansu Fati – 6. The 18-year-old was replaced at half-time but he actually had a good first half, coming close with several attempts on goal. AP -
Antoine Griezmann – 7. The Frenchman missed a penalty, and a couple of chances in the first half, but he made up for it with a confidence-boosting goal by converting following Messi’s neat stepover. AFP -
SUBSTITUES: Lionel Messi – 8. Surprisingly left on the bench, the Argentine came on and made an impression after just four minutes. His movement enabled Greizmann to score, and he then grabbed two himself in an impressive cameo. Changed the game. EPA -
Francisco Trincao – 7. One of Barca’s better substitutions, he managed to get involved quickly and was always a threat as Barca turned on the style. AP -
Martin Braithwaite – 6. A disappointing evening for the Dane who came off the bench but struggled to get involved in the play. Reuters -
Miralem Pjanic – 6. Came on for the final five minutes as the home side tried to close the game out. Getty
