Barcelona keep Hamza Abdelkarim on development path despite early La Liga absence

Barcelona have no intention of changing their plans for Egypt forward Hamza Abdelkarim, despite the 18-year-old being left without a minute of action in the first two rounds of La Liga.

The club and head coach Hansi Flick remain fully convinced by the young striker and are continuing to follow the route mapped out for him. Spanish newspaper Sport reports that Abdelkarim’s lack of involvement in the opening fixtures has not altered Barcelona’s view of his potential or his place in their long-term plans.

Abdelkarim made a strong impression during pre-season, where his performances saw him finish as Barcelona’s leading scorer during the club’s preparations. That form has maintained his standing within Flick’s squad, with the German coach viewing him as an intriguing option to provide cover in the first-team attack.

Sport said: “Although Hamza did not play a single minute in the first two rounds of La Liga, the confidence of the Catalan club and the coaching staff in the player appears absolute.”

The forward has also made significant physical progress. In addition to his qualities as a conventional striker and his naturally strong build, he has followed an individual conditioning programme designed to develop both his upper and lower body. The benefits of that work have begun to show in his performances and overall physical development.

His involvement with the Egypt senior national team at the last World Cup has also contributed to his progress. Abdelkarim featured for the final minutes of most of the team’s matches, experience which helped accelerate his competitive maturity.

That exposure has convinced Flick that he already has a player capable of operating at an elite level, although Barcelona recognise that Abdelkarim still has further stages to complete in his development before becoming a regular first-team player.

For that reason, the club’s firm intention is for him to remain registered with Barcelona Atletic, the side for which he was given the number 29 shirt at the start of the season. The plan was established from the outset to ensure he continues to receive regular competitive football whenever opportunities with the senior side are limited.

Barcelona expect there will be periods during the season when Abdelkarim’s involvement under Flick decreases. They believe playing for Barcelona Atletic, coached by Juliano Belletti, would offer the best way of maintaining his match rhythm and preventing any interruption to his development.

Sport has also confirmed recent reports that Barcelona are working on a new contract for the Egyptian forward.

The agreement Abdelkarim signed when he joined the club’s youth set-up no longer fully reflects his current position. Barcelona’s management therefore intends to increase his salary in line with his emerging role and significantly raise the value of his release clause.

That clause is currently set at 15m euros, and the proposed increase is designed to deter interest from clubs outside Spain and protect Barcelona’s investment in one of their promising young forwards.