Lamine Yamal to Miss Upcoming Matches Due to Injury
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal will be sidelined for two to three weeks after aggravating a groin injury, ruling him out of Spain's World Cup qualifying matches against Georgia and Bulgaria next week.
The 18-year-old had previously missed four games after the injury first occurred during international duty in September. He returned to the field on Sunday, coming off the bench to contribute to Barcelona's 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad.
However, the injury reemerged following Yamal's participation in Barcelona's Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
Barcelona released a statement confirming: "The groin problem for Lamine Yamal has returned following the game against PSG. The player will miss Sunday's match against Sevilla, and his recovery time is estimated at 2-3 weeks."
This latest setback adds to an ongoing dispute between the club and the national team regarding the management of the young player's health. Yamal has had an impressive season so far, scoring two goals and providing four assists in five appearances for Barcelona.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick commented on the situation, saying, "Spain has the best team in the world, with the best players. They should also take care of our players, especially the young ones, but it seems they are not doing so."
In response to Flick's remarks, Spain's manager Luis de la Fuente denied any conflict between the two parties but expressed his surprise at the German manager's comments, stating, "Given that Flick has also coached a national team, I expected him to show more empathy."