One injured Barcelona quarry gem who could provide cover for Lamine Yamal going forward | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are currently facing a familiar issue, one they know all too well from their past, particularly during the Lionel Messi era. This team appears to be overly dependent on Lamine Yamal and seems unable to secure a win without him.

So far this season, Barcelona have lost only two La Liga games. Interestingly, these were the only two matches in which Lamine was not part of the starting XI. The defeats came against Osasuna and Real Sociedad, ending in 2-4 and 0-1 losses, respectively.

It’s never ideal to be overly reliant on a single player without a suitable replacement. Therefore, Hansi Flick will be eager to identify a player capable of delivering the same kind of impact as Lamine when the 17-year-old is unavailable.

Now, as per SPORT, one player who could emerge as Hansi Flick’s go-to option to replace or rotate with Yamal is Toni Fernandez. At just 15, he was part of Flick’s pre-season squad and possesses the skill set necessary to replicate some of Yamal’s impact.

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Unfortunately for Barcelona, Toni is also currently sidelined with an ankle issue—a syndesmosis injury that will keep him out for about three weeks, extending into December. Interestingly, this injury is very similar to the one that kept Lamine out of the Real Sociedad game.

At just 16, Toni has already been called up to the senior squad five times by Hansi Flick this season, though he has yet to make his official debut. He has also been performing at a very high level for Barcelona Atletic, despite originally being part of the Juvenil A side.

Although not a natural right-winger, Toni possesses a magical left foot, much like Lamine Yamal. Unlike Fermin, who struggled to make even 25% of the impact that his younger colleague has on games, the quarry player could be the solution Hansi Flick is looking for.

The report suggests that Flick may increasingly rely on Toni’s services to help alleviate the pressure on Lamine Yamal. We’ll have to wait and see how things unfold for the youngster and when he finally gets his debut with the first team.