English Premier League
Barcelona’s Hamza Abdelkarim gives Hansi Flick selection boost with pre-season goals
Hamza Abdelkarim strengthened his case for a place in Hansi Flick’s Barcelona first-team squad by scoring in Sunday’s friendly win over Basel.
The Egypt striker began the match on the bench but made an immediate impact after coming on, continuing a run of performances which is increasing the pressure on Flick to consider him for the senior squad this season.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Abdelkarim’s statistics during pre-season are giving the German manager a growing reason to include him among his options in the first-team attack.
The forward was the first international player to rejoin the Catalan club when training resumed. He gave up a holiday he was entitled to take after representing Egypt at the World Cup and returned to work on the first day of the new training schedule.
Abdelkarim then announced himself in Barcelona’s first major friendly of the summer against Birmingham City, scoring both of his side’s goals in a match played in England.
He failed to score during the three-team tournament in Udine, but returned to the scoresheet against Basel in Barcelona’s penultimate friendly of the preparations.
The Egyptian replaced Gordon at half-time and moved into the central striker role. Just four minutes after entering the pitch, he restored Barcelona’s lead with an acrobatic finish from an excellent cross delivered from the left by Karim Adeyemi.
Adeyemi had scored Barcelona’s opening goal in the game.
The strike took Abdelkarim’s pre-season total to three goals, making him the club’s leading scorer during the current preparations. Those numbers could earn him, at the very least, an opportunity to become one of Flick’s available choices as a central striker, even if Barcelona complete the expected arrival of another number nine.
The goal also carried a personal significance for Abdelkarim. It came at the ground where his role model, Mohamed Salah, began his European career.
Abdelkarim joined Barcelona on loan from Egyptian club Al Ahly in January and initially played for the youth team.
Rather than taking a route through Barcelona’s reserve side, the player known as “Mohamed Salah’s pupil” has remained determined to establish himself at the club he regards as his dream team.
Barcelona have since activated the purchase clause in his agreement. The deal is worth 1.5m euros, excluding additional bonuses, and has secured Abdelkarim’s future with the Catalan club.
His latest goal does not guarantee a place in Flick’s squad, but it adds to a sequence of performances that have made him the leading scorer of Barcelona’s pre-season campaign. With the first-team manager still assessing his attacking options, Abdelkarim’s progress has ensured that he remains firmly in the conversation for a senior role.