Out since November 7, only projected to be 4-6 month recovery but we're already in month 7 with the addition of a 2nd arthroscopic surgery in March (1st was reported in January to address chronic inflammation & pain although led to post surgical site infection) - also with Cugat's involvement. Confirmed that the player indeed went back under the knife, end of March - the difference between the previous board and this one in terms of leak of news, 6-8 weeks after the fact
There was repair of suture and cleaning of the meniscus which confirms the initial theory that his meniscus repair warranted structural revision - Javi Miguel (AS) reported that even the initial surgery in November 2020 had a prolonged postoperative recovery (5 vs 2 days) which suggested there were complications
The secretive timing of the 3rd surgery coincided with the player's Instagram post in late March about his injury struggles
Currently, everything is pending the sensations of the player in the coming days, when Ansu intensifies his recovery and workloads: a 4th operation is not ruled out in the event that this new therapy does not resolve his issues. But if it is carried out, it would no longer be Cugat but the French surgeon, Bernard Cottet, whom Fati visited in March at his office in Lyon, who would be in charge of the operation.
Turns out the 3rd intervention that he underwent at the end of March was, above all, a preventive measure in the desperate attempt to save part of his original meniscus, an essential factor for a long sports career. And if a solution is not finally found in the coming weeks, the next step will be a meniscectomy, that is, the removal of the meniscus, a decision that would solve the problem in the short and medium term, but could have serious long-term consequences on his playing career