Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has admitted that winger Lamine Yamal’s latest injury is more complex than initially feared, casting uncertainty over the teenager’s return date to the pitch. okay.ng reports that the 18-year-old’s groin injury, sustained during Spain’s recent international duty, has raised doubts over his availability for the highly anticipated El Clasico later this month.
According to Flick, Barcelona will not rush Yamal back into action despite earlier statements from the club suggesting a two-to-three-week recovery window. “This injury is not so easy, like a muscle (injury), we have this experience with (those), the coaches, the therapists,” Flick said on Saturday. “With this kind of injury, it’s not easy to say now, okay, he can play in two weeks, in three weeks or four weeks, so he’s able to play in the Clasico — this is not possible.”
The German tactician emphasized the need for patience, explaining that Yamal will spend the coming weeks training separately under the supervision of the club’s recovery team. “We have to wait… we have to manage his (work) load. He will train with our recovery team, so for the next weeks he is with them. We have to go step by step and have to see how his evolution is,” he added.
Yamal first picked up the injury in September while representing Spain, forcing him to miss four games. He made his comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League midweek but suffered a recurrence of the same problem.
Flick revealed that Yamal’s spirits remain positive despite the setback. “I spoke with him today and it’s much better than before, but it’s not good,” he said, confirming the youngster’s absence for Barcelona’s next La Liga fixture against Sevilla.
The Barcelona boss also used the opportunity to criticise Spain coach Luis de la Fuente for fielding Yamal while he was still nursing pain, reportedly after receiving pain-killing injections. “I don’t regret this, I want to protect my players,” Flick maintained. “It’s done now, for me it’s over, we have to look forwards… the important thing is that we manage this together, the clubs and the federation.”
