According to SPORT, which cited unnamed sources, FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has chosen which player will replace Lamine Yamal in the event that the winger needs a break or is experiencing physical difficulty.
Lamine missed training on Saturday before a La Liga match against Real Sociedad, and the club has revealed that he will be sidelined for two to three weeks due to an injury.
There was still hope that Lamine might make the match in Anoeta because the 17-year-old had been working out in the Joan Gamper CT gym as his teammates practiced on the field.
However, Barca issued a statement an hour prior to kickoff, stating that he had been knocked during the team’s 5-2 Champions League victory over Red Star Belgrade in the middle of the week.
Hansi Flick’s La Liga leaders lost 1-0 to La Real and entered the international break six points ahead of Real Madrid, who still have a game to play. This may have been due to their over-reliance on Lamine.
According to another statement made by Barca on Monday, Lamine has “a grade 1 high right ankle sprain” that could keep him out of action for the remainder of November.
According to reports, Flick has chosen which player will replace the Euro 2024 winner when he needs a break or is uncomfortable because the young player is obviously being overworked for both club and country.
Flick prefers to search within instead of going out on the transfer market, as he did this summer when he promoted players like Marc Casado to the first squad.
After impressing the German during the preseason tour of the United States, where he gained minutes against teams like Manchester City and Milan in addition to AS Monaco in a 3-0 Joan Gamper Trophy loss back in Catalonia, Barca Atletico star Toni Fernandez will now be his go-to.
Ferran Torres and Raphinha are two more players who can play on the right wing, but none of them can “emulate the creativity and magic of Lamine as Toni can,” the report continues.
However, he is not a true right winger, and according to Flick, he is a false one who can also play midfield or interior.
We’ll see how much Fernandez is utilized by Flick when the fixtures pile up towards the conclusion of the season, as he is now out due to an ankle niggle that is similar to Lamine’s.
