Barcelona’s coach Hansi Flick has decided to grant Raphinha some time off to help him recover mentally after his recent injury setback. Meanwhile, he has called on Marcus Rashford to step up in Raphinha’s absence.
Raphinha, 29, suffered a right hamstring injury during Brazil’s match against France last week, which has sidelined him for approximately five weeks.
This means he will miss a crucial series of matches against Atlético Madrid, including the upcoming Champions League quarterfinal tie, and may also miss a potential semifinal.
“This injury comes at a challenging time for us and for him,” Flick remarked at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s La Liga match against Atlético.
“He feels down about it, and we share in that disappointment.”
This marks Raphinha’s third injury to the same hamstring this season, during which he has already missed 16 games for both club and country.
Following Brazil’s match against France in Boston, Flick spoke with him and, alongside sporting director Deco, chose to allow Raphinha some time back home in Brazil.
“I spoke to him via FaceTime, and he was very disappointed and downcast, so Deco and I made the decision to let him go to Brazil,” Flick explained. “We usually want our players here, but it’s important for him to have this time to clear his head. He can return this weekend and start fresh on Monday.”
Raphinha could potentially make his comeback for the El Clásico against Real Madrid on May 10 at Spotify Camp Nou. In the meantime, Rashford has an opportunity to impress Barcelona and encourage them to activate the option for a permanent €30 million ($34.6m) deal this summer.
Due to Raphinha’s earlier performances and his own injury issues, the England forward has only started one of Barça’s last 10 matches. However, after participating in two games for his national team this week, he is likely to start at the Metropolitano this weekend.
“I’m pleased with Marcus because he’s been performing well,” Flick commented on the Manchester United forward, who has achieved 10 goals and 13 assists in 39 appearances this season.
“He has faced some injury problems recently, and we had to manage that. This is a perfect chance for him to showcase his talent again, but we also have other alternatives to fill Raphinha’s role.”
“Fermín López can step in there; Gavi is also capable of playing in that position. I’m glad to see Gavi back at this level. We’ll consider all our options.”
Flick added that Jules Koundé, Alejandro Balde, and Eric García have all returned from injuries and are ready to play against Atlético, although Frenkie de Jong will not resume training until next week.
Barcelona heads into the latter part of the season leading La Liga, sitting four points ahead of Real Madrid, while Atlético is in fourth place, trailing by 16 points.
This Saturday’s matchup marks the first of three encounters within 11 days, as Barcelona will host Atlético in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday, with the second leg taking place the following Tuesday in Madrid.
The team that advances will face either Arsenal or Sporting Club in the semifinals.