Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has admitted it is impossible to say whether Lamine Yamal will be fit enough to face Real Madrid later this month—but having spoken with the teenager, the current situation is “not good”.
Having only recently returned from a groin injury picked up on international duty, Yamal is back on the sidelines after a flare-up of the same issue, with the club putting a timeframe of up to three weeks on his recovery.
Such a timeline would leave the door open to an appearance for Yamal in El Clasico against Real Madrid on Oct. 26, but Flick has insisted his involvement in the game is by no means a certainty.
“I spoke with him today, it’s better but it’s not good,” Flick revealed. “This is the situation with Lamine.
“With this injury, it’s not so easy to know [when he will return]. It’s not easy to say, ‘OK he can play in two, three or four weeks...' or if he’s able to play the Clásico. This is not possible.
“We have to wait. We must manage his load. He trains with the recovery team and [will spend] the next weeks with them. We go step by step. We have to see how the evolution is.”
Flick: No Regrets Over Spain Criticism
Yamal’s groin injury can be traced back to the September international break with Spain. Flick did not hold back with his furious assessment of the national team, accusing them of failing to protect Yamal and forcing him to play through pain.
Spain counterpart Luis de la Fuente has repeatedly brushed off Flick’s complaints but recently confessed Yamal was below 100% during the previous camp.
Asked whether he regretted his approach to the situation, the Barcelona boss continued: “I want to protect my player, support him, this is what it is.
“A lot of things happened. This is, for me, done. I have no bad things about this situation. I know it from the other side [as an international manager]. It’s not easy for me. It’s not easy for [De la Fuente]. I must protect my player; this is the reason I made it a little louder than normally I want to do it. I don’t regret this.
“Now, the important thing is managing this together. The players, the clubs and the Spanish Federation. We have to manage it together.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hansi Flick Had Two Concerning Words Over Lamine Yamal Injury As El Clasico Looms.
