Lamine Yamal injury update given amid fears he will 'miss the World Cup'

Spain winger Lamine Yamal could reportedly be set to miss the remainder of the season, casting doubt on whether he will take part in this summer’s World Cup.

On Wednesday (April 22), Yamal scored his 16th La Liga goal of the season from the penalty spot, helping Barcelona to a 1–0 win over Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou, and in doing so extended their buffer over Real Madrid to nine points with just six matches to play.

However, despite helping his side to three valuable points in their pursuit of retaining the title, concerns have been raised about the player’s fitness after he clutched his hamstring in the moments after netting from the penalty spot, before being replaced.

The injury will likely keep him out of next month’s El Clásico, with Barça boss Hansi Flick issuing an update on the player after last night’s game.

The German said: “I think there’s an injury, but we’ll have to wait to see how long he’ll be out. I can’t say anything else. We have to wait. As a coach, you have to manage these things.

“It’s a shame that Lamine got injured now, but I’m also thinking about Raphinha, [Marc] Bernal, [Andreas] Christensen... Now we have to focus on Getafe. I wouldn’t say I’m upset, I’m thinking about a lot of things. We fought hard.”

Spanish newspaper Marca has reported that Yamal’s World Cup is in doubt due to him suffering a hamstring tear, which would likely mean he misses the rest of the season and the summer tournament, as Spain look to build on their success at Euro 2024.

It must be noted that Barcelona have not confirmed the extent of the player’s injury.

“We just hope that Yamal’s injury is not significant,” Yamal’s Barcelona and Spain team-mate Pedri told Movistar Plus. “We still don’t know and I imagine we will need to wait for the medical tests tomorrow, but I’m optimistic because he is young and should get back soon. It was a very important win because we needed to keep nine points clear at the top. We managed against a very tough opponent and that was crucial.”

Further tests on Yamal are expected to be carried out today (April 23). Barcelona return to action away at Getafe on April 25.