Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed that the club has requested Lamine Yamal be released from the Spain national team due to injury. The 17-year-old winger suffered a “severe contusion” during Barcelona’s 5-2 Champions League victory over Red Star Belgrade. Yamal missed Barcelona’s 1-0 La Liga loss to Real Sociedad on Sunday. He was replaced by Fermin Lopez, who unsuccessfully filled in on the right wing. Barcelona ultimately lost the game 1-0, their second league defeat of the season. The Blaugranas also notably failed to register a goal for the first time this season.
Yamal has been called up to the Spain squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Denmark and Switzerland. His injury has caused a stir in both the Barcelona and Spanish national team camps. Manager Flick stated that Barcelona has asked for Yamal to be released from the national team. He said, “We will miss now Lamine Yamal… I don’t know if he will return after the international break. We’ve asked for him not to travel to the national team”.
Yamal has been a key player for Barcelona this season, scoring six goals and providing eight assists in 16 appearances across all competitions.