Lionel Messi Says Barcelona Should Take Things 'Nice and Easy' with Ansu Fati

Barcelona icon Lionel Messi has said he's hoping the club take their time integrating Ansu Fati into the first-team setup despite his heroics early in the 2019-20 season. 

With Messi and fellow forward Luis Suarez injured in the early weeks of the campaign, Blaugrana manager Ernesto Valverde called upon the 16-year-old for some key matches. Fati was able to rise to the challenge and has scored two goals already in the Spanish top flight.

Messi made a similarly impressive initial impact when he burst onto the scene as a youngster at the Camp Nou. Speaking about his team-mate at FIFA's The Best awards, the 32-year-old said Barcelona need to be cautious when calling upon the latest academy prodigy, per Jonathan Meaney of AS:

"I really like him and I try to help and support him. He's an amazing player and he's got what it takes to succeed. But if I look at it through my eyes, I'd like them to bring him on gradually, like they did with me when I started, taking things nice and easy and without putting pressure on him.

"You have to remember that he's only 16. I hope he keeps on enjoying it and that all the fuss around him doesn't have a negative impact on him because he has the quality to become one of the best."

After netting his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw at Osasuna, Fati showed off his star potential to the Camp Nou with his excellent display against Valencia, scoring and then setting up Frenkie de Jong in a 5-2 triumph:

Squawka Football summed up how much the young forward has accomplished before his 17th birthday in October:

Ideally, Valverde would not have wanted to rely on such a young player so early in the campaign, but injuries to some key men opened the door to Fati.

Messi and Suarez both started against Villarreal in the 2-1 win on Tuesday. The former was brought off at half-time having seemingly picked up a knock, while Suarez struggled throughout the contest and was replaced by Fati late on.

Despite that win, Barcelona have toiled in the early weeks of the season, slumping to a shocking 2-0 loss at Granada on Saturday. Football journalist Musa Okwonga thinks the team will lean heavily on Messi and Fati this term:

Messi was named as the winner of FIFA's Best Men's Player award on Monday, as he beat Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize. The forward was crucial in the team winning the La Liga title, scoring 36 goals and laying on 13 assists.

While Blaugrana supporters will be disappointed by the manner in which they've started the campaign, they will at least be excited to see Messi and the club's latest rising star on the field at the same time.