Barca boss Flick surprised by Araujo rumours, discusses captaincy and Rashford

Barcelona are in South Korea for the first time since 2010 and will play FC Seoul on Thursday, July 31 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, with Lamine Yamal set to start, Hansi Flick revealed in a press conference.
The German has taken most of the squad's key figures to the Asian country, including the 18-year-old phenomenon, veteran Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, Brazilian star Raphinha and Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo.
"He has exceptional talent. It's incredible and, moreover, he can decide matches. I'm very happy to have him in my team," said Flick of the Spain international winger, who scored 18 goals in 55 games across all competitions last season.
"Of course, he will play," said the coach, who assured that the team want to give their best and that their goal is to "play to the maximum in South Korea", according to statements collected by the local news agency 'Yonhap'.
On Ronald Araujo, he was surprised by the rumours about a possible departure: "Why should he leave? There are many rumours about many names, also about Ronald Araujo, but I have no news. I have a great team, with a lot of quality. We have every position covered twice. In some positions, we even have three players. It's not easy to manage, of course, but I'm happy". "I repeat, I'm surprised that there is talk about this," he insisted when asked again about the Uruguayan.
The coach said that the Barcelona team face a difficult season and that they will try to take advantage of these pre-season friendlies to assess the situation and their work needs, and assured that neither he nor his players will shy away from the challenges ahead.
"Big clubs like Barca want to win titles," he said. "For us, it's the same goal. We will start the season trying to win as many matches as we can," he added.
The German was also questioned about Marcus Rashford, whom he praised: "Marcus Rashford is a great player. I have followed him for many years since he started his career at Manchester," said the coach. "He has a lot of quality and I hope he can show it this season in our team," he added.
In addition, he responded to the issue of the captaincy with Marc-Andre ter Stegen out of action: "The team will decide, as it has done in the past. We'll see, it will be decided the last week before the competition starts".
Finally, the German coach asserted that he is aware of the presence in FC Seoul of British midfielder Jesse Lingard, formerly of Manchester United, and the risks involved.
"He is a great player. We know him from England," he said. "The team is doing well and has a good philosophy. But, in the end, I focus more on my team. It will be the next test for us and will help us prepare for the season."
Barcelona have a second match scheduled in South Korea next Monday, August 4, against FC Daegu. Both can be seen openly through the YouTube platform. These matches follow the one already played in Japan last week against Vissel Kobe, which they won 3-1.