Spain hit with Lamine Yamal injury worry as star misses training days before World Cup final | OneFootball

Youngster has not been at his best this tournament after arriving in camp with a niggling hamstring problem

Lamine Yamal missed Spain’s training session on Thursday, sparking injury concerns with the World Cup final mere days away.

La Roja will face Argentina in the tournament showpiece in New Jersey on Sunday, but could be without a key forward for the match.

Yamal has appeared in each of Spain’s matches so far at the World Cup and played every minute of their knockout campaign, scoring once.

His involvement in the final is now in doubt, though, after he missed training and was spotted wearing strapping on his left thigh, days after playing the full duration of the semi-final against France.

Video shared by Spanish newspaper Diario AS shows the player watching on as his team-mates trained. Sitting with a foam roller on a yoga mat, he was pictured in conversation with head coach Luis de la Fuente and his assistant Juan Jose Gonzalez.

Injury worry: Luis de la Fuente is sweating over the fitness of Lamine Yamal after he missed training on Thursday, with a large bandage visible on his left thigh

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The Barcelona star also appeared to grimace at points as he shifted his weight from one side to the other.

Yamal missed stretches of the last La Liga season with a persistent case of pubalgia, a tricky-to-treat groin injury. He then tweaked his hamstring while facing Celta Vigo in late May, an injury which he carried into the World Cup and limited his involvement in Spain’s opener against Cape Verde.

The 19-year-old has subsequently been criticised for his underwhelming form at this tournament, despite Spain reaching the final for the first time since winning the World Cup in 2010.

Luis de la Fuente will likely offer an update on the player’s condition when he undertakes his pre-match media duties this week.

Despite his meagre years, Yamal already has 32 Spain caps to his name, and seven goals to boot. He put in a vital shift at the Euro 2024 final as Spain beat England 2-1, assisting Nico Williams’ opener. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to reprise his role in a major tournament final here, though.