Lamine Yamal may be forced to spend more time on the sidelines, according to a report, with club officials said to be pessimistic about his chances of returning for Saturday’s La Liga clash with Celta Vigo.
Barcelona’s teenage wonderkid Yamal suffered a knock during his side’s Champions League victory over Red Star Belgrade in October and was subsequently forced to miss out on their trip to Real Sociedad, sitting in the stands while his usually prolific side lost 1-0 at the Aneota.
He was originally expected to miss just a few weeks of action, staying behind while Spain faced Denmark and Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League. However, reports from AS reveal that Yamal is unlikely return for Saturday’s league outing.
A source close to the club told the Spanish publication that, “it will be difficult for him [Yamal] to arrive on Saturday.”
Barca struggled to offer any attacking threat without Yamal during their defeat to Sociedad. Talents such as Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha were unable to get anything past La Real, while the team failed to score a single goal for the first time in 30 games.
Reports admit that Yamal is still nursing his ankle injury and the club are cautious of worsening his weak foot.
The setback will come as a huge blow to manager Hansi Flick, having not yet won a league game without Yamal. Both of Barca’s loses this season, to Sociedad and Osasuna, have come without the Spanish youngster in the team.
Lewandowski, Eric Garcia and Hector Fort are all reportedly available for Saturday’s fixture.
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