Lamine Yamal has left the Spain squad to return to Barcelona after suffering minor hamstring discomfort in Saturday’s Nations League victory against Denmark.
The 17-year-old was substituted off in the 90th minute of Spain’s 1-0 victory and was seen limping back to the team bus after the match, having been on the receiving end of multiple tackles during the match.
Tests were carried out on Yamal’s injury by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Sunday morning, which revealed no tear in the hamstring.
However, the wide forward will not be available for Spain’s Nations League match at home to Serbia on Tuesday and will return to his club side to continue his recovery, while Atletico Madrid’s Rodrigo Riquelme has replaced him in the international squad.
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Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente called on referees to “protect talented players” after the match, adding that opposition sides were looking to “intimidate and look for contact” when facing players like Yamal.
“But Lamine has to get used to it,” De la Fuente said after the match. “I would love it to be a bed of roses, but this sport is like that.
“Lamine displayed an exceptional attitude and generated a lot for us from the right flank. He has a special talent. From there, I had a teammate who used to say: ‘What do you want, kisses?’ Teams use the weapons they can within the rules.”
Barcelona will face a busy run of fixtures after the international break, playing Sevilla at home in La Liga on October 20 before hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League three days later and travelling away to Real Madrid in the league for the first El Clasico of the season on October 26.
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(Angel Martinez – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
