(Reuters) – Spain forward Lamine Yamal will miss Tuesday’s Nations League Group A4 match against Serbia to avoid any risk of injury after suffering a muscle strain, the Spain national team said on Sunday.
The 17-year-old was substituted in the 93rd minute during Spain’s 1-0 win over Denmark in a Nations League Group A4 match on Saturday. Yamal endured several tackles from the Danish side and was spotted limping back to the team bus after the match.
After undergoing an MRI scan in Madrid on Sunday, the Barcelona player was withdrawn from the Spain training camp and will return to his club.
“The tests did not reveal any structural injury, and the medical staff of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed it is a case of muscle strain,” the Spain national team said in a statement on Sunday.
“Prioritising the player’s health and to avoid any risk of injury ahead of the upcoming match against Serbia, it has been decided to withdraw him from the squad.”
Spain coach Luis De la Fuente said in a news conference after the Denmark game, “The referee has to protect these talented players, but Lamine has to get used to it. I would love it to be a bed of roses, Flower Power, 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. I had a teammate who used to say: ‘What do you want, kisses (from the opponents)?’ Teams will use the weapons they can within the rules.”
Yamal was a key player in Spain’s 2024 European Championship win. He has scored five goals and registered five assists from 11 games for Barcelona across all competitions this season.
Atletico Madrid’s Rodrigo Riquelme has been called up to replace Yamal for Tuesday’s match against Serbia in Cordoba.
Spain lead the group at the halfway mark with seven points from their three games, followed by the Denmark on six and Serbia on four, with Switzerland bottom with no points.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
