Medical expert sheds light on Barcelona prodigy’s ongoing fitness struggles – ‘Difficult to treat’ | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal is not having the best of times at the moment. The attacker was a subject of much criticism from Real Madrid players due to his pre-match comment about the club heading into the first Clasico of the season.

Yamal’s personal lifestyle has also come under fire, even leading to a meeting between Barcelona sporting director Deco and his agent, Jorge Mendes.

But perhaps the most worrying thing for Barcelona right now is Yamal’s fitness. The attacker has missed quite a few matches due to an injury this season and was playing against Real Madrid with visible discomfort.

Traumatologist’s take on Yamal’s injury

Specialist Dr Pedro Luis Ripoll provided insight into the young forward’s condition (h/t SPORT), describing his ongoing battle with pubalgia as a particularly complex injury.

“Pubalgia is frankly difficult to treat,” said Dr Ripoll, who explained that it causes pain in the pubic and groin areas and significantly limits a player’s performance.

“It’s characterised by pain that reduces the player’s ability to move and shoot by almost 50%, which is exactly what we saw in El Clasico,” he said.

Barcelona are worried about Lamine Yamal’s fitness. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The orthopaedic surgeon further added, “In practical terms, this means the player can’t shoot at goal, has difficulty moving, and is constantly stretching.”

Ripoll emphasised that this kind of discomfort is “disabling,” allowing the player to take part in matches but preventing them from performing at their optimal level.

Barcelona’s plan with Yamal

Alarmed by his struggles against Real Madrid, Barcelona have no plans to rush Yamal back into action now.

The club want the young forward to return to full fitness and health before returning to the pitch. Barcelona, after all, see Yamal as a future leader and will not rush his return.

The Spanish international, therefore, could go through a period of carefully orchestrated rest and rehabilitation, as he looks to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.