Barcelona boss Xavi has insisted that he will continue to be patient with Ansu Fati, with the youngster only starting once for the club during the 2022-23 campaign.
The 19-year-old missed around nine months with a serious knee injury before returning to action last September, but he then suffered two further setbacks, struggling with hamstring issues.
Fati was used sparingly in the latter stages of last season, with Barcelona being cautious when it comes to the teenager, as they bid to avoid a repeat of previous problems.
The teenager has only started once for Barcelona this season, which came against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League last month.
All five of his La Liga appearances have come from the bench, but he has managed to provide two goals and two assists, and there have been claims that he could start against Elche on Saturday.
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Xavi was asked about Fati during a press conference on Friday, and the club's head coach said that the attacker was "gradually coming back" to full fitness.
"Ansu is fine. He's a great player and he makes the difference when he comes on. It's important to us. We may be expecting a little more intensity during the match, but he is gradually coming back, and he understands that is he coming out of a difficult situation," Xavi told reporters.
"I will decide [about Ansu]. You have to be prudent. Last year, we were maybe too rash with the decision, and it was a problem."
Fati has represented Barcelona on 65 occasions in all competitions, contributing 21 goals and eight assists in the process, while he has managed one goal in four caps for Spain.
The forward has been overlooked by La Roja boss Luis Enrique in his latest squad, though, with the youngster a notable absentee from the group of players that will face Switzerland and Portugal in the UEFA Nations League before the end of the month.
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Xavi also said that the international break has come "at the right time" for the club, who will be looking to put three points on the board in La Liga before Sunday night's Madrid derby.
"It comes at the right time for us. We have not stopped, we have travelled a lot. For the staff, it's a timely break, because I think almost 90% of the players will go with their national teams," he added.
"We have to win tomorrow, and then let's see what happens. We have to be attentive, especially since it's the Madrid derby. But what we have to do is win our game.
"We are expecting the same opponent we faced last season. Physically strong competitor. In terms of teamwork, they have a number of strengths. We only won thanks to a penalty from Memphis (Depay)."
Barcelona have been victorious in each of their last four La Liga matches, which has left them second in the table, two points behind leaders Real Madrid, but they will enter this game off the back of a 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Matt Law
