Barcelona manager Hansi Flick expressed uncertainty on Saturday about when Lamine Yamal might return from a groin injury, contradicting the club's earlier two-to-three week timeline. The 18-year-old winger will miss Spain's World Cup qualifiers and faces an unclear recovery path before the Oct. 26 Clasico against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu. Flick explained that groin injuries differ from muscle strains and require careful load management through the recovery team's step-by-step approach.
Yamal initially hurt his groin while playing for Spain in September, missed four matches, but returned last week before aggravating the injury against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Flick defended his earlier criticism of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente for using pain-killing injections on Yamal against Bulgaria and Turkey. The German coach told reporters on Saturday that he spoke with the Ballon d'Or runner-up, and the player's condition has improved slightly but remains problematic ahead of Sunday's La Liga match against Sevilla.
Yamal initially hurt his groin while playing for Spain in September, missed four matches, but returned last week before aggravating the injury against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Flick defended his earlier criticism of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente for using pain-killing injections on Yamal against Bulgaria and Turkey. The German coach told reporters on Saturday that he spoke with the Ballon d'Or runner-up, and the player's condition has improved slightly but remains problematic ahead of Sunday's La Liga match against Sevilla.
