Eddie Howe explains Newcastle United position after Barcelona boss blasts Lamine Yamal treatment
Eddie Howe insists Newcastle must embrace challenge of facing Barcelona star Lamine Yamal
Eddie Howe has urged his Newcastle United players not to be intimidated if Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal is declared fit and included in the Champions League clash at St James’ Park on Thursday night.
The 18-year-old forward, already a European champion with Spain after their triumph at Euro 2024, was forced to sit out Barcelona’s weekend La Liga fixture against Valencia. According to the Catalan club’s medical team, Yamal has been struggling with discomfort in his pubic bone – a problem that placed his participation in midweek under doubt.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his fitness, Howe has made it clear that Newcastle are preparing for the strongest possible Barcelona lineup. When asked about the possibility of Yamal featuring, Howe responded with his usual level-headed approach:
“Whenever I get asked these types of questions, my answer’s always the same – you want to play the best teams, you want to play against the best players, and you want to challenge yourselves as much as you can. But in saying that, we also want to win. We’ll take whoever they play. We know they’ve got world-class players in every position, so it’s irrelevant to a degree who is out there.”
The Newcastle boss emphasized that while Yamal is an extraordinary talent, Barcelona’s squad depth means his presence or absence won’t dramatically alter the level of challenge facing the Magpies.
Meanwhile, the Spanish youngster’s situation has sparked frustration in Catalonia. Barca head coach Hansi Flick openly criticised the Spanish national team for what he described as mishandling the teenager during the recent international break.
Flick revealed that Yamal was already carrying pain before joining up with Spain and yet was forced into heavy involvement during their matches against Bulgaria and Turkey.
“Lamine goes to the national team with pain, didn’t train, had painkillers to play. They were three goals ahead in every match, and still, he played 79 and 73 minutes. Between the games, he didn’t train at all. This is not taking care of players,” Flick said.
The German coach added:
“Spain have the best team in the world. In every position they are unbelievably good. But I am really sad about this situation. Players like Lamine must be protected, not risked unnecessarily.”
Yamal has quickly become one of Europe’s most talked-about young stars, with his fearless dribbling, creativity, and maturity beyond his years drawing comparisons to some of Barcelona’s greatest-ever players. His potential presence on Tyneside adds an extra layer of intrigue to what is already a high-stakes Champions League encounter.
For Howe and Newcastle, though, the focus remains on their own performance. Whether or not the teenage prodigy makes the trip, the Magpies know they will need to be at their best to get a result against one of Europe’s most formidable sides.