Barcelona coach Hansi Flick expressed concerns on Saturday about the severity of Lamine Yamal’s groin injury, indicating that the young winger’s recovery might take longer than initially expected.
While Barcelona announced on Friday that Yamal would be sidelined for two to three weeks, Flick suggested the timeline could be uncertain and possibly extended.
The 18-year-old, who recently suffered a recurrence of the injury during the Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain, is now expected to miss Spain’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
“We have experience with muscle injuries, but this groin injury is different and not easy to predict,” Flick explained. “It’s hard to say whether he’ll be fit to play in two, three, or four weeks, or if he will be ready for the Clasico against Real Madrid on October 26. We have to take it step by step and monitor his progress closely.”
Yamal initially picked up the injury while representing Spain in September, which caused him to miss four matches before briefly returning to play last week.
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Despite his effort to play through the pain, Flick criticised Spain coach Luis de la Fuente for allowing Yamal to participate in qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey using pain-killing injections.
Flick said he spoke with Yamal on Saturday and received somewhat encouraging news but emphasised the injury was still serious.
“He said he feels better than before, but it’s not fully healed,” Flick noted ahead of Barcelona’s La Liga game against Sevilla on Sunday.
De la Fuente had earlier called on Flick to show more empathy, pointing out his own experience as a former national team coach.
However, Flick remained firm, stating, “I don’t regret what I said. My priority is to protect my players.”
Looking ahead, Flick emphasised the importance of cooperation between clubs and the national federation in managing player welfare. “We have to work together to ensure the best for the players. That’s what matters now.”
