Hansi Flick drops major Lamine Yamal bombshell before El Clásico against Real Madrid

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick admitted he doesn’t know when teenage star Lamine Yamal will be back from injury — or if he’ll be available for El Clásico against Real Madrid later this month.

Speaking ahead of Barça’s La Liga matchup with Sevilla, the German manager fielded questions about the winger’s fitness, his recent clash with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, and how his squad is coping after a tough loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcelona visit Sevilla

“We know Sevilla well,” Flick said. “They play aggressively, with intensity, and they have a strong fan base behind them. It will be a difficult match.”

Lamine Yamal’s fitness

“When we have doubts about his fitness, he doesn’t play,” Flick explained. “I spoke with him today. He’s feeling better but he’s still not right.”

The coach stressed that part of his job is knowing how to manage the 17-year-old. “Everyone knows his quality, but it’s my responsibility to give him the right minutes when he comes back. It’s not only what he does with the ball — without the ball he’s one of the smartest players I’ve seen. But when you’re not at 100 percent, you focus too much on the ball. We need to learn from this situation and manage his minutes carefully when he returns.”

Clash with Spain coach de la Fuente

Flick addressed his dispute with Spain’s national team coach after Yamal returned from international duty injured. “The situation was when he came back from the last break. I want to support my player, but it’s already happened. For me, it’s a closed issue. It’s not easy for De la Fuente, and it’s not easy for me, but I have to protect my player.”

Asked if he regretted his comments, Flick was clear: “I don’t regret what I said. I wanted to protect my players. That was my way of saying stop. But it’s in the past. The focus has to be on the present and the future.”

Yamal a doubt for El Clásico

“We don’t know when he’ll be back,” Flick admitted. “This isn’t a muscle injury. It could be two weeks, three weeks, maybe four. I don’t know if he’ll be ready for El Clásico. We’ll have to take it step by step with the recovery team and see how he evolves.”

Concerns about fatigue

With another international break approaching, Flick said managing minutes is crucial. “It’s part of the life of a top player. Everyone wants to play for their national team, but we have to manage minutes together. If a player is important, he will play for his country. It’s good to have that recognition, but it has to be managed.”

He also expressed caution about Barcelona youngster Marc Bernal being called up to Spain’s under-21s. “It’s a difficult situation. I don’t know what their plan is, but he’s not ready to play that many minutes. You can see in training he’s not physically where he was before his injury. We need to be careful, and that applies to me and the Federation.”

After the PSG defeat

Flick said the squad was disappointed after the Champions League loss against PSG but must learn from it. “We have to be smarter in certain moments. Our pressing is key, and when we lose focus, opponents can hurt us. We had been improving in recent games, but it’s a process. Sevilla is an important match for us.”

Egos and team mentality

The coach also repeated his message about putting the team ahead of individual ambitions. “It’s not only about the players. It’s about everyone — coaches, staff, fans. We all want to win titles, but it can’t be about yourself. The attitude after the last break has been good, the training has been positive. PSG is a fantastic team and defeats can happen, but we must keep going.”

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