The absence Fati from Monaco's six friendlies is already causing a stir in Spain. The forward arrived from Barcelona at the end of June, alongside Paul Pogba, on loan. The 11 matches played last season in all competitions (less than 300 minutes) did not put off the French club, which saw a market opportunity in taking a chance on the Bisau native.
The problem is that Monaco have played six friendlies this pre-season and the Spanish player has yet to get any minutes. The situation is causing a stir on the other side of the Pyrenees, with MARCA reporting on Saturday that the Monegasque club are beginning to get impatient.
However, manager Adi Hutter after the 5-0 win over Coventry City on July 16th that it was simply a case of managing the player's fitness.
"Ansu Fati is getting closer and closer to joining the group with Paul Pogba," he said.
"At Barcelona, he wasn't able to work as he should have, but I think that in 10 or 15 days time, he'll be more present in training."
Monaco's specific plan for Fati
If the 22-year-old striker has still not become part of the group dynamic, the reason is simple: the idea is not to force any kind of premature return on a player who has suffered injuries during his career.
"I want him back as soon as possible, but as we've already said, we have to be careful with Ansu. We don't want him to relapse or accumulate any potential physical problems," Hutter has explained.
Upon his arrival, the club and the player agreed on a specific plan to ensure that Fati integrates as well as possible into the group dynamic. While the idea is to prevent potential injuries, as the coach explained, he also needs to be able to adapt as well as possible to his new league, Ligue 1.
According to sources consulted by Flashscore France, given the player's lack of playing time last season, Monaco are aware that he needs to take the necessary time to find a suitable rhythm.
Above all, the club is aware that it is one of the most physical teams in the French league. Not bringing Fati up to the level of his teammates would be far too risky from a physical point of view, given the problems the Spaniard has had throughout his career.
Patience is therefore the keyword, and if he is not available for Le Havre on 16 August, it will not be considered a tragedy.