Poland head coach Jan Urban has voiced his surprise at Barcelona’s anger after Robert Lewandowski suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty, ruling him out of this month’s El Clasico against Real Madrid.
The 37-year-old striker tore a muscle in his right thigh during Poland’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania and is expected to be sidelined for around four weeks.
Barcelona were reportedly unhappy that Lewandowski completed the full 90 minutes despite feeling discomfort earlier in the game.
Urban, speaking to Cope, dismissed claims of negligence and insisted the forward showed no signs of serious injury during the match.
“He said at half-time that he’d noticed something, but nothing more. If it had been serious, he would have raised his hand and we’d have taken him off,” Urban said. “Robert is our big star — we’d never risk his health.”
The Poland coach also revealed he has not spoken with Barcelona about the issue, saying there was “no need,” and expressed disbelief at the four-week prognosis.
He maintained that Lewandowski was carefully managed, having been rested in a prior friendly.
Lewandowski’s absence is a major setback for Barcelona, who sit second in La Liga, two points behind Real Madrid.
The striker joins an injury list featuring Gavi, Marc-André ter Stegen, Dani Olmo, and Joan Garcia.
Raphinha is expected to return in time for the Clasico, while Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez have resumed training.
