BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has admitted that Lamine Yamal’s recovery from injury is “not good,” casting doubt over the teenager’s availability for the season’s first Clásico against Real Madrid later this month.
The 18-year-old forward suffered a relapse of a groin injury during Wednesday’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, having only just returned from the same issue in last week’s win over Real Sociedad.
Barcelona confirmed that Yamal will be sidelined for up to three weeks, ruling him out of Sunday’s trip to Sevilla and Spain’s upcoming international fixtures. His participation in the October 26 Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu remains uncertain.
“I spoke with him today. It’s better, but it’s not good,” Flick told reporters on Saturday. “With this kind of injury, it’s not easy to predict. We can’t say if he’ll be ready in two, three, or four weeks — or even for the Clásico. We must wait and manage his workload carefully.”
The Barcelona boss explained that Yamal is currently training with the club’s recovery staff and will continue to be monitored closely.
Yamal first picked up the groin problem while on international duty with Spain in September, missing four matches for Barça. At the time, Flick accused the Spanish national team of “not taking care” of the young star — remarks that drew criticism from Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who called for “more empathy” from Flick.
Although De la Fuente initially included Yamal in Spain’s latest squad for World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria, the winger was withdrawn shortly after confirmation of his setback.
Flick stood by his earlier comments but said he wanted to move on from the disagreement.
“I want to protect my player. That’s my responsibility,” he said. “It’s not easy for me or for Luis de la Fuente. I just spoke a little louder than I normally do. I don’t regret it. What matters now is managing this situation together — the club, the players, and the federation.”
Meanwhile, a similar club-versus-country issue has emerged over Marc Bernal, another 18-year-old Barça player, who was called up to Spain’s U21 squad despite only recently returning from a year-long ACL injury.
“It’s a difficult situation. I don’t think Marc is ready to play yet,” Flick said. “He’s been out for 12 months and is still regaining rhythm. We must take care of him — both the club and the federation.”
Later on Saturday, Spain withdrew Bernal from the squad, replacing him with Fer López of Wolves for the upcoming matches against Norway and Finland.
Barcelona, who suffered their first defeat of the season to PSG in midweek, will travel to Sevilla on Sunday amid a growing injury list that includes Yamal, Marc-André ter Stegen, Joan García, Gavi, Fermín López, and Raphinha.
