Lamine Yamal was forced off during the closing stages of Spain’s World Cup qualifying victory over Bulgaria on Thursday but reports suggest that the Barcelona forward has avoided any serious injury.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente is openly in awe of the teenage starlet. The talent “touched by God’s wand” underscored his status as one of the world’s best players with another devastating display for his national team, teeing up Mikel Merino’s header to make it 3–0 after playing a role in the first two goals of the night.
Bulgaria’s beleaguered left back Fabian Nürnberger, who plays his club football in Germany’s second tier with Darmstadt, unsurprisingly struggled to contain Yamal. Barcelona’s gifted winger dribbled past the 26-year-old on no less than six occasions.
Victory was secured by the time Yamal awkwardly made his way off the pitch in the 79th minute. Mundo Deportivo claim that the teenager is suffering from back pain and he subsequently sat out team training on Friday. However, the report describes the issue as “minor” and expects Yamal to be available for Spain’s daunting trip to Türkiye on Sunday night.
De la Fuente certainly struck a confident tone post-game. “We could have drawn more positive conclusions, but we all finished healthy,” he told TVE. “It was a difficult match, and the next one will be much better.”
This was the first of Yamal’s 22 caps which he has won as a legal adult, yet the prodigious youngster already boasts a talismanic status for his national team. The tireless dribbling has scored six times for his country and racked up another 11 assists. Since De la Fuente took over Spain at the start of 2023, no member of the squad has directly contributed to more goals than Yamal.
Given such prolific output, La Roja have been understandably reluctant to overlook Yamal. There is little chance of him finding any down time at Barcelona. The Catalan side’s coach Hansi Flick has previously revealed: “I tell Lamine champions don’t rest.”
Barcelona can scarcely afford to be without their star forward over the coming weeks. The defending La Liga champions return to action with a visit from Valencia at the renovated Camp Nou four days before travelling to Newcastle United’s St James’ Park for their first Champions League outing of the new campaign.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Receive Lamine Yamal Injury Scare on International Duty.
