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Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal will miss Spain’s World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria this month after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, the club confirmed on Friday.
The 18-year-old winger is expected to be out for up to three weeks after the problem flared up again following Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“The pain reappeared after the match against PSG,” Barcelona said in a statement. “The estimated recovery time is between two and three weeks.”
Spain promptly removed Yamal from their squad list after the club’s announcement, having initially called him up for the qualifiers.
Yamal, who had just returned to the starting line-up for the first time since August after missing four matches, was criticised for being overplayed during September’s qualifiers. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick blamed those appearances for aggravating the injury.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente dismissed suggestions of a rift with Flick, insisting the situation was normal. “In football, risk always exists. If he plays for his club, he accepts those risks. This is completely normal,” De la Fuente said.
He added, “There is no conflict with Flick. I was surprised by his comments because, as a former national team coach, I expected more empathy. But we are focused on two very important matches—World Cup qualification is what matters most.”
Yamal’s latest setback also casts doubt on his availability for El Clásico against Real Madrid on October 26.
Spain will also be without Nico Williams and Dani Carvajal next week, while Álvaro Morata has been omitted from the squad following a poor start to the season at Como.
Williams, who has been sidelined since sustaining a groin injury in a 6-0 win over Turkey, was expected to have his playing time carefully managed, according to Athletic Bilbao.
Spain currently lead Group E with six points from two matches. They face Georgia in Elche on October 11 before hosting Bulgaria in Valladolid on October 14.
