Barcelona must be patient with wonderkid Ansu Fati, claims Clement Lenglet
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La Liga giants Barcelona’s newest talent Ansu Fati finally made his full debut on Saturday, against Valencia. A product of Barcelona’s academy, La Masia, Fati responded superbly to his first start by scoring a goal and assisting another in an emphatic 5-2 victory over rivals Valencia.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde finally handed Ansu Fati a place in the starting line up against Valencia, and the 16-year-old opened the scoring inside just two minutes. He then went on to assist another, becoming the first teenager to do that in a long time. Not just that, Fati also netted his first goal on his first appearance for the club before the international break, making an instant impact.
Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet was also full of praise for the youngster after the match at Camp Nou. Speaking to Movistar+, Lenglet had a lot to say about his fellow teammate, adding that Barcelona needs to keep him safe and be patient once Fati starts playing regularly.
“He is 16 years old and we have to be calm with him. It's true that he has taken advantage of his minutes and is a good boy who deserves it. I am very happy for him, but we have to give him time because he is 16 years old and things can change quickly. I hope they don't but we have to take care of him. I would advise him to listen to people and work hard because playing for Barca is very difficult."
Lenglet was also asked about the club’s defensive frailties, which were once again seen in the goals that they conceded. The game did finish 5-2 in favour of Barcelona but Valencia managed to get two goals back, although it was to no avail in the end.
“It was a good victory against a difficult opponent who plays good football. They play different football to us but we did things very well. We prefer not to concede goals, but we did things well until the end. On the whole, we played a good game and although we conceded the response was important."Â
Barcelona have now moved up to fourth in the La Liga table and are two points behind early leaders Atletico Madrid. They are also set to face Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in the Champions League, with Lionel Messi set to potentially miss the clash.
