Lamine Yamal injury worry as Flick criticises Spain ahead of Newcastle tie

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is a doubt for Thursday’s Champions League clash with Newcastle United, with manager Hansi Flick openly criticising Spain’s handling of the teenager during the international break.

The 18-year-old is struggling with discomfort in his pubic area and has been ruled out of Barça’s La Liga meeting with Valencia on Sunday. The club revealed Yamal had been playing through the pain while on international duty, taking painkillers to feature in both of Spain’s fixtures.

Despite being heavy favourites in those matches, Spain fielded Yamal for 79 and 73 minutes respectively, without him taking part in training sessions between games. Flick was visibly frustrated when addressing the situation.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said:

“Lamine went to the national team with pain, he did not train, and he was given painkillers to play. Spain were three goals ahead in every match, yet he still played significant minutes. This is not taking care of players.

“Spain have the best team in the world, with quality in every position. I am really saddened by this situation.”

Flick, himself a former national team coach with Germany, admitted that a lack of dialogue with Spain boss Luis de la Fuente had compounded the problem.

“I never really spoke with him. Maybe my Spanish is not good, his English is not good, so this becomes a problem. Normally, communication should be better, especially as we have several players in the Spain squad, not just Lamine.

“I know how difficult the job of a national team coach is, but during my time we always maintained good communication with clubs.”

Barcelona’s injury concerns extend beyond Yamal. Frenkie de Jong will also miss the Valencia clash after suffering an injury in the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw with Poland, while Gavi and Alejandro Balde remain sidelined.

There is, however, a boost for Flick, with young midfielder Marc Bernal set to return to the bench after more than a year out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

“De Jong will not be back tomorrow, but Marc will,” Flick confirmed. “He will not start, but his next step is to build his readiness gradually. Tomorrow will be about the excitement of being back with the squad, and we must manage that carefully.”

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s planned homecoming to the redeveloped Camp Nou has been delayed once again. Sunday’s fixture was initially set to mark the reopening of the stadium, which is undergoing a £1.25 billion renovation. However, construction delays mean the match will instead be played at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cruyff, located next to the club’s training ground.

Having played their opening three games of the season away from home, Barcelona began with back-to-back wins before being held to a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano. The reigning Spanish champions currently trail arch-rivals Real Madrid by five points, though they have a game in hand. Their Champions League campaign begins on Thursday at St James’ Park against Newcastle.