Hansi Flick manager slowing down recovery of star player

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick had suffered a defeat and loss without Lamine Yamal on the pitch due to his ankle injury, and it might have been tempting to bring him back earlier than necessary for their clash against Brest in the Champions League. In retrospect, Flick was absolutely right, but the prospect of a mini-crisis did not faze the German.

Flick spoke to Lamine Yamal on the pitch after the Brest match in an intense conversation, revealing in his post-match press conference that he had told the teenager he hoped to use him against Las Palmas on Saturday. According to various reports, Flick gave him the green light to start training again on Wednesday.

According to Diario AS, Lamine Yamal was still experiencing ankle pain last week, but by the weekend he was without any symptoms. He tested his ankle with his teammates on Sunday and was almost fine, and could have played without any problems on Tuesday with some ligaments. However, Flick was steadfast: he did not want to take unnecessary risks.