Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has hit out at Spain’s handling of Lamine Yamal after revealing the teenage winger is a doubt for Thursday’s Champions League trip to Newcastle United.
Yamal, 18, has already been ruled out of Sunday’s LaLiga clash with Valencia after returning from international duty with a groin problem.
He still started both of Spain’s World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey, did not train between the matches and played the majority of both games while taking painkillers to get through them.
The teenager had opened the season with two goals and two assists in LaLiga before adding three more assists on international duty. Flick did not hide his frustration on Saturday.
‘He will not be available. He went off to play for Spain with some pain and did not train,’ Flick said. ‘They gave him painkillers so he could play.
‘They had at least a three-goal lead in both matches, and he still played 73 and 79 minutes. Between the games he was not able to train. That is not looking after the player. I am very sad about this.’
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has hit out at Spain’s handling of Lamine Yamal after revealing the teenage winger is a doubt for Thursday’s Champions League clash
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Lamine Yamal did not train between the matches and played the majority of both games while taking painkillers to get through them
The German, who knows the demands of international football from his time with Germany, also revealed contact with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has been limited to text messages.
‘Maybe my Spanish is not good, his English is not good, so this is a problem. Normally the communication could be better. I was also on this side as a national team coach, so I know how hard this job sometimes is,’ he added.
Barca will also be without Frenkie de Jong after the midfielder was injured with the Netherlands, while Gavi and Alejandro Balde remain absent.
There is at least some positive news, with youngster Marc Bernal back in the squad after more than a year out with a serious knee injury.
Sunday’s match will be staged at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cruyff while work continues on the rebuild of Spotify Camp Nou. Flick insisted the reduced venue will not be an excuse.
‘I spoke with the players and the captains and they say it will not affect us. Also, Valencia have to play in this stadium. We showed against Como we can win here and this is what I want to see on Sunday,’ he said.
It will also be the first fixture with Thiago Alcantara on the touchline after the former Barça, Bayern Munich and Liverpool midfielder rejoined Flick’s coaching staff this week.
‘He has a lot of experience and he can pass it on to the players. It could be a really good piece of the puzzle for our success,’ Flick added.
