Barcelona manager questions Spain’s care of young players after an aggravated injury rules the winger out of crucial fixtures.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has publicly criticized the handling of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal by the Spanish national team, after the winger returned from international duty with a groin injury that will sideline him for Sunday’s league match against Valencia and puts his Champions League availability in doubt.
An visibly frustrated Flick revealed to reporters on Saturday that the 18-year-old had been playing through pain for Spain, a decision that has now cost his club team dearly. “He played with the national team despite pain. He had problems, played 79 and 73 minutes, and didn’t even train between matches because of this pain,” Flick stated. “That is not really taking care of the players, is it?”
The manager questioned why a nation with such immense depth—calling Spain’s squad “the best team in the world”—would need to risk a young player carrying an injury. Yamal, who contributed three assists in World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey, was given painkillers to feature in the matches.
Flick, a former Germany national team coach, expressed understanding for the difficulties of international management but pointed to a clear communication failure. “I never spoke with [Spain coach Luis de la Fuente]. My Spanish is not good, his English is not good, so maybe this is a problem,” he admitted. “But in the end, I think the communication… it could be better.”
The injury blow is compounded by the continued absence of midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who was also injured on international duty with the Netherlands. In a rare piece of positive news, young midfielder Marc Bernal is set to return after a 13-month absence with an ACL injury.
A club press officer confirmed that Yamal is suffering from discomfort in his pubic bone and is officially considered doubtful for the team’s Champions League opener at Newcastle next week, leaving Barcelona’s attack significantly weakened for a critical stretch of games.
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