Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has admitted the national team feared Lamine Yamal would miss World Cup 2026 after sustaining a hamstring injury that saw him miss the end of Barcelona’s season.
Yamal is yet to make his competitive return from injury but is with the Spain squad for the tournament after working hard to recover.
De la Fuente has been asked about the teenager and said that he feared the worst initially.
“We were very worried. Because we saw it was an injury that could… Not keep him out for
three months, or even two, but that month and a half could certainly be extended,” he told AS.
“But the timelines we’re seeing are exceptional, both in terms of the prediction and the quality of his recovery. And we’re all… not surprised, but very happy.
“Very happy because we’re seeing that the recovery is progressing faster, he’s feeling better every day. And that leads us to believe that he’ll be perfectly fit for the first match.”
Spain’s opening game of World Cup 2026 is against Cape Verde on Monday. De la Fuente has said that Yamal will be fit for the game but is “not ready to play 90 minutes.”
