- Lamine Yamal started in Barcelona's 5-1 thumping of Mallorca on Tuesday
- The prodigious teenager had missed three weeks with an ankle injury
- Hansi Flick spoke about the team's reliance upon Yamal
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was full of praise for the returning Lamine Yamal, who made his first start in almost a month during a 5-1 win against Mallorca on Tuesday.
Yamal had been sidelined since limping off with an ankle injury at the end of a Champions League tie with Red Star on 6 November. The 17-year-old came off the bench for the second half of Las Palmas' visit to Catalonia on Saturday, but failed to help his side avoid a 2-1 defeat.
Flick's side recorded one draw and two defeats from three league games without Yamal in the starting XI. After boasting a nine-point lead above Real Madrid, the gap had shrunk to a single point by the time their teenage star returned in midweek.
While top scorer Robert Lewandowski was rested, Yamal shone at Son Moix. The Spain international won the penalty which Raphinha converted to fire Barcelona into a 2-1 lead and provided an audacious outside of the boot pass for the Brazilian to nab his second of the evening on the island.
"He's always important," Flick gushed following the 5-1 away win, "he makes the difference. He could have scored one or two goals. He played very well, he assisted... he has great quality. We need him."
Yamal was also in high spirits after a return to winning ways. "It is a very important victory for the team, we needed to win again," he told Esport3.
"In the Champions League we were doing very well, but in the league we were losing very silly points. The victory is very important for everyone and the goals for those who play less also give them a lot of confidence."
The record-breaking teen has done well to avoid injury throughout his embryonic career despite being thrown into first-team football at such an early age. Given their dire record without him, Barcelona fans will have been pleased to hear Yamal's positive update on his fitness. "The ankle is fine," he assured fans post-match, "and I am ready to play as many games as necessary."
