- Lamine Yamal will miss Spain’s World Cup qualifiers due to a recurring groin injury.
- Barcelona confirmed the winger will be sidelined for two to three weeks.
- Coach Hansi Flick criticised his involvement in earlier qualifiers, blaming it for worsening the injury.
- Spain coach Luis de la Fuente denied any conflict, calling Yamal’s setback a normal risk in football.
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has been ruled out of Spain’s World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria after suffering a recurrence of his groin injury.
The 18 year old star is expected to miss up to three weeks, a setback that affects both Barcelona and Spain as they prepare for crucial fixtures.
Barcelona confirmed on Fridapy that teenage sensation Lamine Yamal will not feature for Spain this month after suffering another setback with his groin injury. The pain resurfaced during Wednesday’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, his first start since August.
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“The pain reappeared after the match with PSG. The estimated recovery time is two to three weeks,” Barcelona said in a statement.
Yamal had only just returned from missing four matches, but the problem worsened after his international duty in September. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick expressed frustration, suggesting that Spain’s decision to play him earlier in the World Cup qualifiers contributed to the recurrence.
Despite this, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente played down talk of tension. Speaking at his squad announcement for the qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria, he dismissed any conflict with Flick.
“The risk in football and in sports always exists. If he is playing at his club, he is assuming those risks. We are talking about completely normal situations,” De la Fuente said.
He added: “There is no conflict with Flick. I was simply surprised by those statements because he has been a national team coach and I thought he had that empathy.”
The absence of Yamal, who has quickly become a key figure for both Barcelona and Spain, will be a significant blow for the national team in their World Cup qualifying campaign.
