Barcelona boss Flick lauds much-needed wonderkid as ‘the best’ amid ‘incredible’ form
Since enjoying a whirlwind of a summer in Germany at the ripe old age of 16, turning just 17 a day before the final, Lamine Yamal has continued his excellent Euro’s form into club football where he has scored four times and assisted five in La Liga and the Champions League.
Yamal has enjoyed his start to life under new Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, and ahead of the Spanish giants’ clash against Getafe on Wednesday night, Flick dubbed Yamal as “the best”.
Flick said: “Quality is not related to age. He is doing incredible things. He is the best.”
Yamal and Barca have enjoyed a 100 per cent record in La Liga this season, sitting at the top of the table, with other La Masia products such as Pau Cubarsi and Hector Fort contributing to their early season success.
Giving talented, homegrown academy players their chance was also something Flick did while in charge of Bayern Munich, bringing through the likes of Alphonso Davies and now Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee.
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Although Yamal failed to get on the scoresheet in Barca’s last outing against Villarreal last Sunday, the Spaniard played an outrageous, outside of the boot pass to set up Raphinha for Barca’s fifth goal and Flick believes there’s no time to rest just yet for the wonderkid.
He said: “We have all the data on the players and right now he doesn’t need to rest. He’s doing very well. We’ll look at him, but I don’t think he needs to rest.
“We’re playing at home, we have to start with a good team on the pitch and what Lamine has done is incredible. The other players are also doing very well.”
Yamal has played all but 14 minutes for Barca this season, showing he has rapidly earned the trust of his new manager but the Catalan club must manage his minutes correctly to ensure he is able to fulfil his potential. Barca can’t allow themselves to make the same mistake with a player widely considered as a generational talent.
In recent years, the likes of Ansu Fati, as well as Pedri and Gavi have picked up long-term injuries, with Fati being a shadow of the player he was when first featuring for the Barcelona first team.
Fati was sent out on loan to Brighton for the second half of last season, though the 21-year-old struggled to stamp his authority in games, though he did find the net twice in the Premier League.
Gavi has missed the best part of 10 months with an ACL injury, having returned to training earlier this month.
