Barcelona announce Lamine Yamal injury hours after he’s named in Spain squad

Barcelona have announced Lamine Yamal is expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks due to a recurrence of a groin injury, hours after he was named in Spain’s squad for October’s international fixtures.

Yamal, 18, missed four matches in September due to a groin injury following his return from international duty and Barca explained he experienced a similar issue after Wednesday’s Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.

The forward was named in the Spain squad for October’s World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria on Friday morning, with head coach Luis de la Fuente defending the national team’s handling of Yamal in a press conference following criticism from his Barcelona counterpart Hansi Flick.

Barca confirmed on Friday afternoon that Yamal will miss between two and three weeks of action, ruling him out of Sunday’s La Liga fixture against Sevilla and leaving him in a race to be fit for the season’s first Clasico against Real Madrid on October 26.

Yamal started both of Spain’s World Cup qualifiers during September’s international break against Bulgaria and Turkey. Flick claimed the teenager had already joined the camp with a minor problem, that he did not complete a full training session with the national team, and that he even took painkillers to play against Bulgaria and Turkey. “This is not taking care of players,” Flick said after the games.

Asked about Spain’s handling of the situation on Friday, De la Fuente said: “Here, we take zero risks. Whoever comes in, comes in healthy, fit to play. And when they go back home, it is because we have judged there was a risk in staying with us.

“I always tell the truth. What happened was, when the (Turkey) game ended, he had a bit of an issue. But I don’t pick players who are carrying an injury. Our medical services have explained it, I have explained it. If he had an issue after the game, I don’t know.”

(Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)