Hansi Flick says Ansu Fati 'deserved to play' against Dortmund

Hansi Flick says ‘Ansu Fati deserved to play’ against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night when the Blaugrana exploded into life with four goals at the Olympic Stadium.

Fati had been an outcast among the Barca squad this year and had not featured since the team’s Copa del Rey win against Barbastro back in January.

He was regularly left out of the squad this term, after being reportedly told to depart the club in the last transfer window.

Ansu however chose to stay, and it seems his efforts in training have paid off. Now, Flick says Ansu’s recent efforts merited the minutes afforded him on Wednesday and that is the trajectory he expects his player to tread.

“It is important for Ansu Fati to get minutes, he’s training well, and he deserved to play. It was good for Lamine to rest and also for Ansu Fati to play”, he told the media after the game.

“Lamine is fine. Like Fati, he has no injury. He was only taken off because he needed to rest”, Flick added.

This season, Ansu Fati has only featured in eight matches for the Catalans across all competitions. He will be hoping to continue working in training in order to earn the trust of Flick in the final matches of the season.