Spain’s technical director of the Spanish Aitor Karanka has been talking about Lamine Yamal’s fitness and says that it will be up to the doctors and coach Luis de la Fuente to decide when the teenager returns.
Yamal is closing in on a return to fitness and Barcelona are keeping a close eye on the situation at World Cup 2026.
Karanka says that there has been plenty of contact with Barcelona but it’s now up to La Roja to decide when Yamal will make his first appearance since suffering his hamstring injury.
“We’ll see when the best time is for me to return. My relationship with Bojan and Deco, even though I didn’t play with them, has been fantastic from the start. It’s important that there’s transparency. We’ve been with Barça’s medical staff and we’re all looking at when the best time is,” he told reporters.
“This is another success for the team, thanks to the medical staff and the coaching team. They assess each player’s current condition. Luis has the final say in consultation with the doctors.
“Recovery is progressing very well in all three cases, and it’s Luis who will discuss with the doctors what the best course of action is. It’s up to the doctors and Luis.”
There’s speculation that Yamal could feature as a late substitute in Spain’s opener against Cape Verde. The two teams are due to meet on June 15th in Atlanta.
