Following Barcelona's concerns: an indirect message from Ancelotti to Flick

Barcelona have received a positive signal from the Brazil national team camp. Carlo Ancelotti has decided to take a cautious approach to Raphinha's physical condition, easing growing concerns at the Catalan club that their forward could suffer fatigue from the pressure of matches and international travel.

According to the Catalan newspaper "Sport", citing the Brazilian website "Globo Esporte", Raphinha skipped Brazil's first training session on Tuesday in Singapore after joining the camp that same day. He limited himself to gym work and did not go out onto the pitch with his teammates.

Brazil's technical staff put the decision in place as part of a preventive plan, aiming to manage the players' physical loads and avoid health problems. The Barcelona star was not the only one affected. Bruno Guimaraes, Gabriel Magalhaes and Vanderson were also rested for the first session.

Raphinha's fitness matters enormously at Barcelona. He has become one of the key cogs in Hansi Flick's system, and the German coach has already voiced his worry about the sheer number of international trips and the physical toll piling up on his players.

Those concerns deepened after the muscular problems the Brazilian suffered during the last international break. Flick responded by calling for his minutes to be managed more carefully, to avoid a repeat.

Flick had earlier revealed he discussed the matter with Barcelona sporting director Deco. "I spoke with Deco, and I would be happy if we could reduce the number of his playing minutes," he said.

Brazil are gearing up for two friendlies against Japan and Singapore, part of a drive to gradually restore the physical readiness of all the international players.