Barcelona starlet Ansu Fati has been tipped not to play at the upcoming Under-17 World Cup, as the Spanish federation (RFEF) look to avoid a potential ‘club vs country’ conflict over the 16-year-old, who could be fast-tracked to the Under-21 national team instead.
Already eligible to represent Guinea-Bissau and Portugal at international level, Fati was granted a Spanish passport last week and is thought to have been included on a preliminary squad list for the Under-17 FIFA tournament that kicks off in Brazil next month.
But there was fear that Barcelona and RFEF could end up on a collision course, with the club said to be unhappy at the prospect of losing Fati for a number of weeks when he has become an important part of the first-team squad in the opening stages of the 2019/20 season.