Injured again in an ankle, Lamine Yamal will miss almost a month of competition. His new unavailability alerts FC Barcelona and its president Joan Laporta, worried at the idea of seeing the Spanish winger following in the footsteps of former Blaugrana Neymar.
In a bad dynamic in La Liga, FC Barcelona really didn’t need that. During the home defeat against Leganés (0-1) last Sunday, Lamine Yamal injured his ankle again. The Barça winger insisted on staying on the pitch and gritting his teeth for many minutes. But the diagnosis quickly came: the Blaugrana suffered ligament damage and will miss three to four weeks of competition.
This new blow necessarily worries coach Hansi Flick to the extent that his team’s results are not the same in the absence of Lamine Yamal. But within management, there is more concern about the long-term effects of this alert. The Spain international has already suffered his second ankle injury this season. And his visits to the infirmary inevitably recall the cases of Gavi, Pedri and especially Ansu Fati, other young Barça talents who are very, even overused, despite their young age. But unfortunately this is not the worst comparison made internally.
Yamal will be protected
Indeed, the Carpetas Blaugranas source affirms that management fears seeing Lamine Yamal following in the footsteps of a certain Neymar. At Barcelona, the Brazilian had already been slowed down by injuries, before his more serious setbacks at Paris Saint-Germain. His unavailability wasted a huge potential which destined him to become one of the greatest players in the world. In order to avoid such a scenario for its crack player, Barça wants Lamine Yamal to fully heal from his injury before returning in 2025. His return will not be rushed by the technical staff, and too bad if the Barcelona residents remain dependent on their right winger.
