Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has been sidelined for up to three weeks after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, ruling him out of Spain’s upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Georgia and Bulgaria.
Setback after brief return
The 18-year-old had only just returned from the same issue, which had kept him out of action for four games following his last international duty in September. He made his comeback last weekend, coming off the bench in Barcelona’s 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad, and also featured in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain. However, the discomfort resurfaced after that game.
Barcelona confirmed in a medical update that Yamal will miss the upcoming La Liga clash against Sevilla and faces a recovery spell of two to three weeks.
Club vs country concerns
Yamal’s second spell on the sidelines comes amid ongoing discussions between Barcelona and Spain over the management of the teenager’s workload. The highly rated forward has already contributed two goals and four assists in just five appearances this season, underlining his growing influence for the Catalan club.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick had previously urged Spain to take greater care with the youngster, suggesting national team commitments had placed too much strain on him. Spain’s manager Luis de la Fuente, however, dismissed suggestions of a rift, stating there was “no conflict” and expressing surprise at Flick’s remarks.
Eyes on recovery
Spain will now have to adjust their plans without Yamal for the October fixtures, while Barcelona hope the winger will return in time for a busy stretch of domestic and European matches later this month.
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