Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal will miss Spain’s World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria after suffering another groin injury.
The 18-year-old winger felt pain again after Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“The pain reappeared after the match with PSG. The estimated recovery time is two-to-three weeks,” Barcelona said in a statement on Friday.
Yamal had just returned to the starting lineup after missing four games with the same problem. His absence means he will also be a doubt for Barcelona’s big clash against Real Madrid on October 26.
Spain quickly removed him from the squad after the injury update. Coach Luis de la Fuente dismissed suggestions of a rift with Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, who had earlier blamed the national team for worsening Yamal’s condition during September qualifiers.
“The risk in football and in sports always exists. If he is playing at his club, he is assuming those risks. 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,” De la Fuente said.
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De la Fuente stressed that Spain must stay focused on their upcoming fixtures.
“You know we have two very important matches; we are playing for World Cup qualification. That is what really matters. The rest is not important.”
Spain will also be without Nico Williams, Dani Carvajal, and Alvaro Morata. Williams is sidelined with a groin problem, Carvajal is recovering from injury, and Morata was left out after a slow start to the season with Como.
Spain currently lead Group E with six points after two games. They will play Georgia in Elche on October 11 and face Bulgaria in Valladolid on October 14.