Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal has confirmed he is ready to return after a groin injury kept him sidelined for several weeks.
The 18-year-old missed matches against Valencia, Newcastle United, Getafe and Real Oviedo. His absence came after aggravating the problem while on duty with Spain, a situation that left manager Hansi Flick frustrated with the national team’s handling of the winger.
– ADEVERTISEMENT –
On Instagram, Yamal wrote: “Hey, I’m back.”
Flick said earlier this month:
“Lamine goes to the national team with pain, didn’t train, had painkillers to play, they were three goals ahead in every match, and he played 79 and 73 minutes. Between the matches, he didn’t train. This is not taking care of players. Spain have the best team in the world, in every position they are unbelievably good. I am really sad about this [situation].”
The Barcelona coach also admitted communication with Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has been lacking:
“I never really spoke with [De la Fuente]. Maybe my Spanish is not good, his English is not good, so this is a problem. Normally, the communication, because we have more players there than just Lamine, could be better. I was also on this side as a national team coach, so I know how hard this job sometimes is, but the communication with the clubs was always good.”
De la Fuente responded after Spain’s victories over Bulgaria and Turkey:
“Right now, I don’t remember what Flick said. Neither is it of any interest to me.”
– ADEVERTISEMENT –
With Yamal back, Flick must decide whether to use him against Real Sociedad on Sunday or save him for Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
