After playing their final warm-up match against Peru in Puebla, the Spain national team enjoyed a two-day break and resumed training yesterday. The squad welcomed a much-anticipated moment as Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams returned to the training ground at Colegio Bellas and rejoined the team. Before the training session kicked off, their teammates formed a guard of honour to greet their comeback.
The recovery of both players is progressing smoothly and the overall situation looks positive. All signs suggest they are in line to feature in Spain’s opening World Cup fixture against Cape Verde in Atlanta next Monday. Nevertheless, the national team has adopted a clear stance on Lamine Yamal: they will not take any risks. This World Cup carries extraordinary significance for the Barcelona player.
This will be his first-ever World Cup campaign in his professional career, and he has long marked this tournament as a key event on his schedule. In his view, the World Cup is a one-of-a-kind competition, entirely different from the UEFA Champions League. As a top-tier continental tournament, the Champions League offers players a chance to make a comeback every season, while the World Cup requires athletes to reach their peak competitive form at this quadrennial event.
For this reason, Lamine Yamal has strictly followed his rehabilitation plan since sustaining a muscle injury to his left hamstring. Medical examinations ruled out the worst-case scenario: his tendon was not damaged, so he did not need to undergo surgery. The muscle tear was seven centimetres away from the tendon, which made conservative treatment feasible and brought great relief to Yamal.
After getting the diagnosis result, the winger put his recovery in the hands of Fernando Galán, a physiotherapist who works for both Barcelona and the Spain national team. His goal is to attain peak physical condition during the World Cup. All his efforts over the past few weeks have paid off, and he can now take part in regular training alongside his teammates.
The biggest suspense at present is whether he will get the chance to play in the opening match against Cape Verde. Lamine Yamal is eager to feature and has worked extremely hard to get ready, but the Spanish Football Federation remains cautious. The original plan was to postpone his return, for the team has no intention of exposing this core star to unnecessary risks just to speed up his comeback.
The coaching staff of La Roja knows clearly that the World Cup features a long schedule, and a recurrent injury would lead to severe consequences. The top priority is to ensure Lamine Yamal stays in top form for the decisive stages of the tournament. In fact, the initial arrangement was for him to miss the game against Cape Verde, earn some playing time against Saudi Arabia and get fully prepared for the match against Uruguay. Thus, no rushed decision will be made.
In addition, Víctor Muñoz has not joined the main squad yet and keeps doing individual training in accordance with his rehabilitation plan.
