Flick says Yamal returning to 'top level' ahead of Rayo Vallecano clash

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick believes Lamine Yamal is finding his way back to his very best, with the teenage winger showing clear signs of improvement ahead of Monday's, September 1, La Liga fixture against Rayo Vallecano.

The 19 year old struggled in Barcelona's opening match of the season at Elche before showing flashes of his usual quality in the following win over Athletic Bilbao, despite failing to find the net in either fixture so far this campaign.

Flick addressed the wider concern around Yamal's form directly, pointing to the demanding nature of his recent schedule following a serious hamstring injury sustained in April.

"I know everyone is worried about how is Lamine, how is he doing. And of course, look at his situation, he played a World Cup after a huge injury," Flick told reporters on Sunday.

"Now he's coming back after three weeks holiday, and also the first game maybe was not his best game. But I said this, I was very happy that he starts the game and he worked for the team," he added.

Yamal had struggled through the first half against Athletic Bilbao but grew into the contest significantly after the break, completing the full 90 minutes for the first time since his return, a development Flick viewed as an important marker of his physical progress.

"He played 90 minutes against Bilbao. And for him at the moment, it's also good to have 90 minutes on the pitch," Flick said.

"We saw him in some situations really on this top level. And now, you couldn't see this in the training session today, but I saw it and it was excellent."

The Barcelona coach also touched on Yamal's mental state, having appeared visibly frustrated following the Elche fixture before a noticeably lighter mood returned in training ahead of the Rayo match.

"Everyone loves Lamine and he's in a good way, and we have to support him and we do that," he said.

Asked about the shift in mood, Flick offered a measured response rather than reading too much into any single day.

"Of course, it's always good when the players are smiling, but it's not every day the same day. I'm also not smiling every day, it's like that," he said.

Barcelona have won both of their opening league fixtures despite deploying Raphinha as a makeshift centre forward, after failing to complete a deal for their primary striker target, Julian Alvarez, from Atletico Madrid.

Flick remained relaxed over the situation, expressing confidence in sporting director Deco's ongoing work to strengthen the squad before the transfer window closes.

"Of course I'm happy with my team, Deco is working on that to strengthen the team. We don't have pressure," Flick said.