Spain teenager Lamine Yamal has been ruled out of this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury.
Barcelona confirmed on Friday that the 18-year-old winger will be sidelined for up to three weeks after the problem resurfaced in Wednesday’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
“The pain reappeared after the match with PSG. The estimated recovery time is two-to-three weeks,” the club said.
Yamal, who had been named in Spain’s squad, was withdrawn once the news was confirmed. He had only just returned to Barcelona’s starting XI after missing four matches with the same issue.
His inclusion drew frustration from Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, who blamed September’s international fixtures for aggravating the injury.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, however, downplayed any dispute, insisting: “The risk in football and in sports always exists. If he is playing at his club, he is assuming those risks. These are completely normal situations.”
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