Flick: Hamza is a wonderful striker but he is not my only option, and this question is difficult | Goal.com
Hansi Flick refused to be drawn on Julian Alvarez. Barcelona want the Atletico Madrid striker, but their coach insisted his focus lies with his own squad, and he saved his praise for young Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim after a standout pre-season.
The comments came ahead of Sunday's trip to Elche in the second round of the Spanish league. It marks Barcelona's opening match of the campaign after their first-round fixture was postponed.
Asked about Alvarez's situation at Atletico Madrid during Saturday's press conference, Flick said: "I don't know what you want to hear, but I say what I've said before. I will not talk about Julian. I don't want to talk about this matter. As I said before, I don't talk about players from other teams."
Pressed on whether the deal collapsing worried him, he added: "This does not worry me. I don't talk about players from other teams. We want to make the team stronger. It's about the team and the club, not about one player or about me. Deco and I know what we want. He has done a great job."
Could Abdelkarim feature against Elche? The German coach, as reported by the newspaper "AS", said: "Hamza had a great pre-season. He's a number 9 striker, young, has a lot of potential and scored goals. That's what matters when you play in this position. He has done a great job."
Quizzed on who would lead the front line, he replied: "There are many options in the attacking line. As for the first choice, I'm not sure. I think it won't be difficult."
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Joao Cancelo could also get minutes against Elche. Flick said: "Yes, he can play tomorrow. He is ready to feature. He has great quality and great passion. He gave us a lot last season."
Turning to Alejandro Balde, he said: "It's a difficult question. Balde has great quality. For me, it's important, as I said before, to be able to compete for your position every time, and that's what I want to see from every player. I see what they do every day, and what they prove to me through it, that they are ready to play at the highest level. We need everyone. In the end, we will only achieve success as a team. We need everyone to be 100% committed to us."
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