Lamine Yamal is a doubt for Barcelona’s LaLiga match against Sevilla on Sunday after the club confirmed he picked up a hamstring strain while on international duty with Spain.
The game against Sevilla at the Olympic Stadium kicks off a big week for Barça, with Bayern Munich to follow in the Champions League before for the first Clásico of the campaign away at Real Madrid.
The 17-year-old hurt his hamstring in Spain’s 1-0 win over Denmark on Saturday and subsequently withdrew from the La Roja squad which will take on Serbia on Tuesday. He returned to Barcelona on Sunday, undergoing tests at the club’s training ground on Monday.
“Tests carried out this morning on first team player Lamine Yamal have confirmed that he has a left hamstring strain,” Barça said in a statement. “His return to training will be determined by his recovery time.”
Yamal said he doesn’t know if he will be ready to face Sevilla this weekend. “I am just thinking about recovering,” he said.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente explained the decision taken between the national team and Yamal to miss the Serbia game, and added his relationship with Barcelona regarding players in the La Roja squad is “really good.”
“I am going to tell you what happened,” De la Fuented said in a news conference. “Lamine had some pain at the end of the game and I asked him how he was. I asked if he could be available Tuesday and there were doubts.
“When there are doubts, there are no doubts. You look out for the best of the player and we decided that he would rest. We have done it with others, there are no exceptions.
“Zero pressure from Barça. I haven’t spoken with anyone from Barça. I have a really good relationship with the club. And there’s no lack of commitment. There was honesty [from Lamine], as simple as that.”
A source told ESPN Barça will not take unnecessary risks with Yamal ahead of two huge games against Bayern and Madrid after the international break.
Vincent Kompany brings the Bundesliga side to Barcelona in the Champions League on Oct. 23, with Barça then travelling to Madrid just three days later.
Yamal has started 13 of 14 games for club and country so far this season, coming off the bench in the other — Barça’s defeat at Osasuna in LaLiga at the end of September.
He has played a key role as Hansi Flick’s Barça’s side have moved to the top of LaLiga with eight wins from nine games, scoring five goals and assisting five more for his club in all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Barça hope for better news on the injury front in midfield after the international break. Frenkie de Jong returned to action earlier this month and Fermín López, Gavi and Dani Olmo are all expected back soon.
Defenders Ronald Araújo and Andreas Christensen remain absent, along with forward Ferran Torres, while Marc-André ter Stegen and Marc Bernal will miss the rest of the season.
