Barcelona coach pledges to continue “protecting” Lamine Gamal

Barcelona’s Spanish football coach, Hansi Flick, said yesterday that he will continue to “protect” the young star, Lamine Gamal, after the recent criticism he faced.

The 18-year-old winger suffered in the Clásico match last weekend, where Barcelona lost to its rival Real Madrid, which widened the gap to five points between the two teams at the top of the Spanish League.

Gamal also sparked controversy with statements before the match, in which he insinuated that Real Madrid was “stealing and complaining,” which angered the “Royal” fans and a large part of the Spanish media.

“We are talking to him,” Flick said in a press conference on the eve of Barcelona’s confrontation with Elche in the Spanish League on Sunday. “We are very honest with each other. He is with me and I am with him, and this is the best way.”

He added: “I will always protect and support him.” He is a great player, a great young man, and he is still very young, and we will continue on this path.”

Gamal has been suffering from a thigh injury for several weeks, and despite his starting participation in El Clasico, his performance was lackluster, and he still appears affected by the injury.

Flick continued: “Lamine is fine. I just talked to him, and he feels better. Of course there are days when he feels some pain, but he is working hard now and has improved a lot in this aspect. “He is on a good development path, that is what we can say.”

The German coach confirmed that Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo are ready to return after injury, while the team is still missing the services of Pedri, Gavi, and Joan Garcia, among others.

Flick explained that the return of veteran striker Lewandowski and playmaker Olmo contributed to raising the level of training.