Hansi Flick fires warning to benched Barcelona star over another disciplinary breach

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has again reminded defender Jules Kounde of the importance of punctuality after dropping the Frenchman for arriving late to Monday's 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.

Kounde's poor timekeeping has already seen him dropped from the starting lineup twice this season - against Alaves in October and Espanyol in November - and he was once again downgraded to the bench on Monday for turning up to the pre-match meeting behind schedule.

As was the case in the previous two games, Kounde came off the bench late in the second half, helping to seal a 1-0 victory which sent Barcelona to the top of La Liga thanks to their superior goal difference compared to Real Madrid.

Asked about Kounde's situation, Flick made sure to remind the 26-year-old that any lateness will not be tolerated.

"Before a match I want everyone to know what they have to do on the pitch," Flick told reporters. "Before matches we have two or three meetings. It's not too difficult to arrive early.

"I want to talk to him. He arrived late and it's a clear club rule, and that's what happened today. It's out of respect for my players, the club and the fans."

Kounde has been an otherwise integral part of Flick's setup this season. Indeed, he has started every game across all competitions aside from the three for which he arrived late.

His importance to the squad is expected to be rewarded with a new contract as Barcelona look to finally put an end to speculation linking Kounde with a big-money move away. Chelsea are long-term admirers of the France international and have recently been tipped to test Barcelona's resolve with a bid worth €100m (£83m).

READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP