The tug-of-war over Lamine Yamal has escalated after Spain boss Luis de la Fuente defended his decision to call up the Barcelona teenager for October’s World Cup qualifiers.
– ADEVERTISEMENT –
Hansi Flick had accused Spain of mismanaging the 18-year-old during the September break, claiming he was forced to play through pain and given painkillers while carrying a groin injury. That setback sidelined Yamal for four Barca matches, leaving Flick furious.
De la Fuente has now fired back, saying: “I was simply surprised by those statements because he was a national team coach, and I believed he had that empathy.” He doubled down: “He knows how players behave. That’s what surprises me, that a former coach would have that opinion.”
– ADEVERTISEMENT –
The Spain coach stressed the focus should remain on World Cup qualification: “We’re playing for the World Cup, that’s what’s really important. The rest isn’t important.”
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Despite Barcelona’s objections, Yamal has been named in Spain’s 26-man squad for games against Georgia and Bulgaria. His involvement will depend on his fitness after facing Sevilla in La Liga this weekend. The standoff highlights growing concerns about player overload, with FIFPRO warning of Yamal’s “alarming” workload at such a young age.