Furious Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has hit out at Spain’s handling of Lamine Yamal after revealing the teenage winger is doubtful for Thursday night’s Champions League trip to Newcastle United.
The 18-year-old attacking sensation has already been ruled out of Sunday’s LaLiga clash with Valencia after returning from international duty with a groin issue.
Yamal 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.
The teenager has opened the season in spectacular fashion, scoring twice and also adding a brace of assists for Barcelona in LaLiga. He followed that up with three more assists on Spain duty, but Flick was not happy.
When asked about Yamal prior to the Valencia clash, Flick said: “He will not be available. He went off to play for Spain with some pain and did not train. 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.”
The German, who is well aware of the demands of international football from his time with Germany, also revealed that contact with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente had been limited to text messages while Yamal was away.
“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.”
Barca also have a doubt over Frenkie de Jong for the trip to St James’ Park after he was injured on Netherlands duty, while Gavi and Alejandro Balde remain absent.
There is at least some positive news, though, with youngster Marc Bernal back in the mix after more than a year on the sidelines with a knee issue.
Sunday’s game against Valencia will also be the first fixture with Thiago Alcantara on the touchline after the former Barcelona, 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.
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