It was Hansi Flick that revealed the news, and upon doing so, he took aim at the Spanish Football Federation, and in particular, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente. The Barcelona manager accused La Roja of giving Lamine Yamal painkillers in order for him to play against Bulgaria and Türkiye, which led to the injury being aggravated.
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However, these claims have since been denied by the RFEF, as per Sport. Specifically, their sources say there was no dialogue from Barcelona in regards to a possible injury for Lamine Yamal upon his joining up with the national team. They also say that Fernando Galán, who is one of their physiotherapists, detected no issues with the teenager during medical examinations.
During his remarks, Flick revealed that he has had very little contact with de la Fuente since becoming Barcelona manager, but RFEF sources have assured that there is regular dialogue between the Catalan club and the Federation.
Barcelona have not put a timeframe on Lamine Yamal’s return, with the only guarantee being that he will not be involved in Sunday’s match against Valencia. They are hopeful that he will be able to face Newcastle, but at this stage, it is more likely than not that he misses the Champions League opener.
At the latest, Barcelona will be hopeful that Lamine Yamal is able to return for next weekend’s match against Getafe, which will almost certainly be played at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys due to continued delays surrounding the return to the Spotify Camp Nou.
