Ansu Fati's father, Bori, has paid tribute to Barcelona's fans for the support they have shown his son in 2019-20. 

The 17-year-old broke into the Blaugrana's senior side at the beginning of the campaign and has netted four La Liga goals this term and one in the UEFA Champions League:

The Guinea-Bissau-born winger has also made his Spain under-21 debut during 2019-20.

As a graduate of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, he is the latest in a stellar production line of players that includes current team-mates Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique.

Bori Fati has now said how grateful he is to hear players of that calibre praising his son, per Radio Barcelona (h/t Marca):

"To hear how players like Messi, [Carles] Puyol, [Samuel] Eto'o or Pique talk about Ansu...we are very grateful. I know that Barcelona fans love Ansu very much. He loves them too. He knows it, although he is a child."

He added that Ansu is "training with his younger brother" during the coronavirus pandemic that has led to the suspension of La Liga.

Barca's last game in the Spanish top flight before the near Europe-wide shutdown was their 1-0 home win over Real Sociedad on March 7.

That victory put them back to the top of the table, where they remained when Real Madrid were surprisingly beaten by Real Betis:

The emergence of Fati has been a bright spark in a tricky season for Barca.

But the fact they remain front-runners for the La Liga title despite replacing manager Ernesto Valverde with Quique Setien in January is indicative of the enduring quality of Barca's squad.

They also remain in the running to win the UEFA Champions League. Their last-16 tie against Napoli is currently level at 1-1 with the second leg still to be played at the Camp Nou.