Hansi Flick 'not a fan' of Lamine Yamal & Lionel Messi comparisons despite seeing Barcelona 'genius' produce moments of 'unbelievable' skill vs Alaves

At 17 years of age, Blaugrana wonderkid Yamal continues to wow audiences around the world. He was at it again in Barca’s 1-0 victory over Alaves, with one early dribble – which saw him burst beyond several defenders after starting out in his own half – conjuring up memories of Messi and his fellow Argentine icon Diego Maradona.

Flick is aware of the noise that Yamal continues to generate, as he is likened to all-time greats, but has told reporters of that discussion: “I am not a fan of that. Lamine is a genius. What he did today, in some situations, it's unbelievable. I am very happy that he is playing for Barca. It's great.”

Yamal attempted 21 dribbles in total against Alaves, completing 11 of them, with that the most that any Barcelona player has managed in one game since Messi took on 20 in a meeting with Real Mallorca back in the 2005-06 campaign.

Flick added on the outrageous standards that Yamal continues to set, with the youngster often leaving rivals chasing shadows: "For 17 years old, he's doing great, and every match is good. And the opponents are not so easy to play against. They are strong, defending good, they try to attack him, aggressive, but he's doing good. I love it."

Barca’s narrow victory over Alaves, secured courtesy of Golden Boot leader Robert Lewandowski’s 18th La Liga goal of the season, has seen Flick’s side move to within four points of table-topping Real Madrid. They will be back in action on Thursday when facing Valencia in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.