BARCELONA, Aug 24 — Barcelona’s youngest ever goalscorer Ansu Fati returned to group training today for the first time in more than nine months after a long injury saga, the club said.

Barca said on Twitter the forward, 18, had taken part in a section of the team’s main training session, while Spanish newspaper Marca said the club hoped he could return to action against Sevilla on September 11.

Fati had scored four goals in six La Liga starts last season before injuring the meniscus in his left knee in a 5-2 win over Real Betis in November 2020.

He underwent surgery and was kept in hospital for five days, with the club initially saying he would be out for four months. But he was forced to undergo a further knee operation in June in Porto after the injury failed to heal as planned.

Fati became Barca’s youngest ever goalscorer in La Liga when he netted against Osasuna in August 2019 and a year later became Spain’s youngest scorer when he struck in a 4-0 win over Ukraine in the Uefa Nations League in September 2020.

Barca were hurt by Fati’s long absence last year, eventually finishing third in La Liga, and his return will come as a relief in troubled times following Lionel Messi’s departure for Paris St Germain and with players forced to take pay cuts to alleviate the club’s financial woes. — Reuters