Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has said Lamine Yamal does not need a rest and backed referees to deal with the rough treatment the young winger is increasingly experiencing.
Yamal, 17, has started all seven of Barça’s games in all competitions this season on the back of winning the European Championship with Spain in the summer, scoring four goals and creating five more this term already.
While other players have been rested in recent matches, Yamal has not been taken off before the 80th minute and there are growing calls to manage his minutes more carefully given his age.
“We have all the data from the players and at the moment it’s not like that, that he needs a rest,” Flick said in a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s game at home to Getafe in LaLiga.
“At the moment, everything is fine. He feels good. I don’t think that [against Getafe] he needs a rest. It’s also important playing at home to start well with a great team.
“And what Lamine Yamal is doing this season is unbelievable. The quality has nothing to say about the age; at his age he is really unbelievable, doing great things.
“Is he the best [in the world]? I think he could be the best player in the future, 100%.”
Yamal starred once again at the weekend, hitting the woodwork, winning a penalty and setting up the fifth goal as Barça beat Villarreal 5-1 to make it six wins from six under Flick in the league.
However, as frustrations boiled over late on, there were several unnecessary fouls on him, but Flick backed the match officials to protect the teenager.
“The referees are doing well,” Flick added when asked about the treatment of Yamal. “They take care and they give yellow cards, it’s good.
“We take care about these players, because they are unbelievable with the ball. I know because I was more a defending player, it’s not easy to play against them. We have to look at these situations and see what the referee gives.”
That Villarreal win was tainted by an injury to goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who is likely to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on Monday on a ruptured tendon in his right knee.
Sources have told ESPN that Barça will explore signing a free agent to replace Ter Stegen and, while he backed reserve goalkeeper Iñaki Peña to step up, Flick confirmed the club will discuss whether they need to turn to the transfer market.
“For a second goalkeeper it’s always difficult to be focused, but Iñaki is and he is ready to play,” Flick said. “We have confidence in him, but we also have to see what we are doing. We will talk later because behind [Peña] we have really young players.
“If we change something, we have to take care about that. We are not under pressure; we are really confident with Iñaki.”
Ter Stegen joins a lengthy injury list at the club, with Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Fermín López and Dani Olmo also still sidelined.
All eight of those players will miss Wednesday’s visit from Getafe, but Ferran Torres will return from suspension for the league leaders as they look to extend their perfect start to the campaign domestically.
