Hansi Flick has confirmed that Jules Kounde will not be available for El Clásico and is once again placing his faith on 19-year-old Xavi Espart to play at right-back on Sunday’s La Liga clash against Real Madrid.
Kounde is still not fully recovered from an ankle injury suffered against Real Betis last weekend and Flick said at a press conference on Saturday that they won’t take risks with the Frenchman’s long-term fitness given the other absences at the back.
The boss also praised Espart, who had a brilliant
night in Paris as a right-back and will face another tough challenge against Madrid’s big-money signing Yan Diomandé, and Flick thinks Espart has what it takes to play another great game this weekend.
“Koundé won’t be available tomorrow; we don’t want to take any risks, we have to accept it. [Xavi Espart] is a professional. He did very well in the last few matches. For me, he’s an incredible player, but he also has room for improvement. We need to work on his potential. He needs to keep proving himself.”
Flick really deserves a lot of credit for Xavi Espart’s rise. It was Hansi who compared him to Philipp Lahm when he was still relatively unknown as a La Masia prospect, and Flick has really trusted young Xavi as a starter since the start of the season.
