In Monaco, where the coast gives way to the first fixtures of the Ligue 1 restart, Ansu Fati is moving closer to a competitive return. The former Barcelona forward could be included when Filipe Luis names his squad for Saturday’s home meeting with Toulouse, having yet to appear in an official match this season.
Ansu Fati’s route back
- Fati suffered a calf problem during pre-season, delaying his start to the campaign and keeping him out of Monaco’s competitive fixtures.
- His first on-field return came in the friendly against Pisa on 3 October, when Monaco won 2-0 and he played the opening half.
- Filipe Luis will shortly confirm his travelling and matchday group for the Toulouse game, with interest focused on whether Fati has done enough to be selected.
Filipe Luis sees a natural threat
The Monaco coach described Fati as an exceptional talent and a particularly dangerous player around the opposition penalty area. He highlighted the Spaniard’s calmness in decisive moments, saying that his composed choices set him apart from players who can become more rushed and help explain his record of goals and assists.
Filipe Luis also stressed that the forward needs competitive exposure after a lengthy absence. “His last official game was five months ago, so he clearly needs minutes,” he said, while assessing Fati’s Pisa appearance positively.
In that friendly, the coach noted that Fati worked close to Matthis Abline and occupied positions near the box. More match time is still required, particularly for him to regain sharpness in exploiting space, but Filipe Luis expects steady improvement.
Monaco are pleased to have the attacker available again, even if a route into the side will not be straightforward. Filipe Luis said competition for attacking places has become extremely strong as the principality club resumes its league programme against Toulouse.
