The best decision with Ansu Fati

The objective of all the surgeries we do on knees is to protect the articular cartilage. This tissue has resistance to friction and pressure and it defends the knee against the appearance of irreversible osteoarthritis.

The main chondroprotectors, that is, cartilage protectors, are the menisci which, with their damping power and loan distribution, distribute the pressure in a way that is bearable for the cartilage.

If this is always important, it's so much more so in an 18-year-old athlete whose knee is going to be subjected to significant mechanical loads for many years to come. Hence, we have to praise the incredibly wise decision of Barcelona's medical staff to choose the meniscus surgery.

It's the longest path to recovery in the short-term, but it is the option that can certainly guarantee a long career for Ansu Fati.

The success of the operation will depend on the fact that the tear has occurred in the most vascularised area of the meniscus that is attached to the wall of the knee joint, and it's tracing isn't complex.

The recovery period, which will be between three and five months, will depend a lot on the solidity with which the surgery has been done, and the resistance that the meniscus has to undergo in the future.

For a doctor, in my opinion, the best compliment that one can receive is that they have used good judgement in the face of those who would have wanted a quicker solution, but one that would have been undoubtedly less effective for the patient. A good example of this has been given by the Barcelona medical team.