Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has publicly criticized the Spanish national team’s handling of young star Lamine Yamal, confirming the winger will miss Sunday’s La Liga clash against Valencia and is doubtful for Thursday’s Champions League opener at Newcastle United.
Flick’s comments highlight growing tensions between clubs and national teams over player management.
Yamal, 18, arrived for international duty already nursing an injury but was started in both of Spain’s World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey.
Despite Spain leading by three or more goals in each match, Yamal played 79 and 73 minutes respectively, requiring painkillers to participate and skipping training sessions between games.
Flick expressed dismay at this decision, stating, “This is not taking care of players. Spain have the best team in the world… Maybe they will also want to take care of our young players” .
Flick revealed communication issues with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, citing language barriers as a potential problem.
“My Spanish is not good, his English is not good,” Flick admitted, emphasizing that dialogue between national teams and clubs “could be better.”
As a former Germany manager, Flick acknowledged the challenges of international management but stressed that during his tenure, communication with clubs was “always good” .
Yamal’s absence compounds Barcelona’s injury concerns. Midfielder Frenkie de Jong is also ruled out against Valencia due to a leg injury sustained with the Netherlands.
However, there is positive news as Marc Bernal returns after a 13-month ACL layoff .
The team will play Valencia at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium due to ongoing Camp Nou renovations, but Flick insists this will not be an excuse .
Barcelona faces a critical week with Valencia and Newcastle away, and Yamal’s potential absence could significantly impact their attacking options.
