AS Monaco exclude Ansu Fati from UEFA Europa Conference League squad and give spot to Balogun

Ansu Fati has suffered another setback in his career with AS Monaco, as the French club has decided to exclude him from their UEFA Europa Conference League squad in order to register striker Folarin Balogun instead, taking advantage of regulations that allow for a change to the squad in cases of long-term injuries lasting at least 60 days.

Ansu Fati is suffering from a hamstring injury he sustained on October 25 during the match against Lille, after he was forced to leave the pitch in the 13th minute. This was only his fifth appearance of the season, in which he scored two goals. Estimates suggest he will be out for more than a month, potentially up to six weeks, making his return to the pitch before January 2027 unlikely.

This setback comes at a time when the Spanish player is suffering from a continuous series of physical problems, which began with his serious knee injury on November 7, 2020, during a match against Real Betis, when he was one of the rising stars at FC Barcelona, before failing to regain the required consistency despite intermittent periods of brilliance.

AS Monaco have signed Ansu Fati from FC Barcelona for €11 million, and manager Felipe Luis has trusted him from the start. However, the player suffered an injury during the pre-season in June, before experiencing another setback in August, which affected his start to the 2026-2027 season.

Ansu Fati returned to the pitch on October 10, scoring against CSKA Sofia and Freiburg in the UEFA Europa Conference League, but he suffered another injury just two weeks later, losing his place on the European roster. He will not be able to participate again in the competition for the remainder of the year, even if he recovers before the end of December.