Spain breathed a collective sigh of relief on Thursday: the World Cup dreams of Lamine Yamal remain intact. The 18-year-old sensation sustained a hamstring injury on Wednesday night during the match between FC Barcelona and Celta de Vigo. While it quickly became clear that the forward’s club season had come to an end, the global tournament does not appear to be in jeopardy for him.
Wednesday night saw a dramatic turn of events at Camp Nou. After Yamal successfully converted a penalty in the 40th minute, he went down to the ground immediately after. Yamal was substituted out of the game and quickly underwent an initial medical examination, with its results soon making headlines.
Testing revealed that the winger has a small tear in his hamstring, ruling him out for the remainder of Barcelona’s season. This led to uncertainty about his availability for the World Cup.
On Thursday, Yamal reported to Barcelona’s training facility for further evaluation. According to Sport, the results of these tests indicate the young left-footed player will likely be sidelined for four to six weeks. While this confirms he will not return to action for Barça this season, it also means he is expected to recover in time for the World Cup.
Spain is scheduled to face Cape Verde in their first World Cup match on June 15.
In preparation for the final tournament, La Selección is set to play friendly matches against Iraq (potentially on June 4, though the date is yet to be confirmed) and Peru (June 8). It is quite possible that Yamal will already be available for these warm-up games.