Albion fans, rejoice. Ansu Fati has returned to full training with Brighton after spending two months out with an unspecified muscle injury picked up in the win at Nottingham Forest back in November.
It represents a sooner-than-expected comeback for the on loan Barcelona forward. After limping off 21 minutes into the Albion’s 3-2 success at the City Ground, Fati was initially ruled out for three months. A timeline which would have put his return at the end of February.
Instead, Fati returned to light training a couple of weeks ago. Based on photos posted on the Albion website and Twitter feed, he has now stepped up his recovery and re-joined the main group – opening up the tantalising prospect of him featuring at Sheffield United in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend.
Fati being available again provides a very timely boost for Roberto De Zerbi. Brighton have failed to score in two out of three Premier League games since Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra joined Fati and Solly March on the injury list, leaving De Zerbi without any fit and available wingers.
A 0-0 draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium was followed by a 0-0 home draw against Wolves. With a lack of pace and no natural width, the Albion struggled to break down two defences who sat deep and were well organised.
Brighton could remain without Mitoma and Adingra until the middle of February if both Japan and Ivory Coast manage to make the finals of the Asian Cup and AFCON.
It had looked like hosts Ivory Coast were heading for a shock group stage elimination, which would have meant Adingra returning to Sussex surprisingly early.
Ivory Coast even sacked head coach Jean-Louis Gasset, believing their tournament over. They have since somehow crept into the knockouts as one of the best third-placed sides in the group stage, resulting in the hasty appointment of Emerse Fae ahead of a second round meeting Senegal.
We have said it before and we will say it again, AFCON remains unrivalled as an international football tournament when it comes to entertainment and bizarre incidents.
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) January 25, 2024
In the continued absence of Mitoma, Adingra and March, the return of Ansu Fati from injury gives Brighton at least one fast, direct winger who knows where the goal is.
Such players are essential to DeZerbiBall and the Albion will stand a much greater chance of winning games for Fati’s presence.
De Zerbi will of course carefully manage the game time of his Spanish international superstar, as he has done since Brighton pulled off the biggest coup of the summer in landing a player on loan with a €1 billion release clause in his Barcelona contract.
“If you work with this talent, you have much responsibility because it’s our football heritage,” said De Zerbi when Fati arrived at the Amex.
“We can’t make mistakes with these players because football needs this talent and you have to manage it in different ways.”
With that in mind, De Zerbi had treated Ansu Fati with kid gloves before his November injury setback. The Forest game was only Fati’s second Premier League start of the season.
The first came in the preceding match against Sheffield United, before which Fati had been introduced from the bench on seven occasions.
Despite this lack of domestic game time, Fati was beginning to make a real impression on English football. 317 Premier League minutes had returned two goals, seven shots on target and involvement in five big chances.
De Zerbi had been more willing to use Fati in the Europa League. Fati had started all four of the Albion’s Group B matches he was available for, providing two goals and one assist.
Brighton secured safe passage to the knockout round in Europe despite being without Fati for their final two matches. That leaves the Albion fighting on three fronts moving through the second half of the season.
Keeping a player with the world class ability and match winning potential of Ansu Fati free of injury will have a big bearing on how successful Brighton are in Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League over the next few months.
