Monaco hold Ansu Fati back as Filipe Luis targets Le Havre opener

Nuhu Adams August 10, 2026

Ansu Fati has not featured for a single minute of Monaco’s pre-season campaign as manager Filipe Luis takes a cautious approach to the forward’s fitness before the start of the 2026-27 Ligue 1 season.

The former Barcelona player was at Anfield on Sunday for Monaco’s friendly against Liverpool, but he was not included in the squad for the match. Fati instead carried out some running before kick-off alongside Paul Pogba and Folarin Balogun, who were also present at the stadium but did not play.

Fati, 23, joined Monaco on a permanent transfer from Barcelona this summer for €11m. However, the club are carefully managing his return to full fitness after he experienced muscular pain at the beginning of pre-season.

Filipe Luis is understood to be keen to avoid exposing the attacker to further injury. The new Monaco manager wants Fati to build towards peak physical condition gradually, rather than risk bringing him back into competitive action too quickly.

The club’s approach means Fati has yet to appear in any of Monaco’s friendly matches during the current preparations. The player is following an individual training programme, according to comments from Filipe Luis.

Monaco’s immediate objective is to have Fati ready for their opening Ligue 1 fixture against Le Havre. The forward scored 12 goals for the club last season, with 11 coming in Ligue 1 and one in the UEFA Champions League.

His involvement against Le Havre will therefore depend on how he responds to the individual programme and the gradual increase in his workload. Monaco are seeking to ensure he is physically prepared before handing him playing time, following his early setback in pre-season.

Fati’s absence from the friendly at Anfield was consequently part of a planned fitness strategy rather than an indication that he has been left out of Monaco’s plans. The club’s priority is to protect the 23-year-old while building him towards the campaign ahead, with the Ligue 1 opener against Le Havre now the key target.