“Spain gave him painkillers even when they were winning” - Barcelona boss Hansi Flick furious as he confirms Lamine Yamal could now be out for 2 games

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has been left fuming at the Spanish national team for their handling of teenage star Lamine Yamal after he picked up an injury. The young forward is facing a short spell on the sidelines with a problem in the pubic region.

Flick told the media of his sadness at the situation, pointing out that La Roja chose to allow Yamal to play through pain despite being on top in both of their games. He pointed out that the 18-year-old played in spite of being unable to train due to an injury he carried to the national team camp.

“It’s a pity because he goes to the national team with some pain. He trained nothing with the national team. He took painkillers to play. They scored over three goals in every match. After the Bulgaria game, in between matches, he did not train again. This is not taking care about players. Spain have the best team in the world. The best players in every position, unbelievably good. Maybe when we talk about taking care of young players, it’s things like that. I’m very sad about this", he said via The Athletic.

Lamine Yamal started both games for Spain, providing three assists across the games against Bulgaria and Turkiye. The youngster played a total of 152 minutes across both games, playing 79 minutes in the former and 73 in the latter.

Yamal has featured prominently for Barcelona this season, playing in all three of their league games to start the 2025-26 season. The youngster has scored twice and provided two assists for La Blaugrana, helping them pick up seven points from their opening three games. He will now miss games against Valencia and Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League as the club plans to allow him to recover from his injury.

Possible Lamine Yamal replacement set for Barcelona debut against Valencia - Reports

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick may turn to Roony Bardghji to provide cover for Lamine Yamal following his injury, as per reports. The young forward joined the Spanish giants this summer and has been made to wait for his competitive debut due to registration issues.

Mundo Deportivo reports that Bardghji, a former FC Copenhagen prodigy, was registered with Barcelona Atletic, with the club receiving clearance to process his visa as a first-team player last week. The 19-year-old had to sit out of the first three league games of the season, only playing in friendlies.

Flick has the option of giving his new number 28 a full debut for the club or opting to play Raphinha on the right flank in Lamine Yamal's absence. This opens up the possibility of Marcus Rashford featuring from the start on the left wing against Valencia and Newcastle United.

Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen