Barcelona confirms the extent of Lamine Yamal’s injury after the Leganés defeat
Barça have confirmed that Lamine Yamal could be out for up to a month after suffering a further ankle injury against Leganés.
It was the first time this season that Barcelona have lost a league game that Yamal has started, highlighting his importance even at such a young age. But a knock to his right ankle relatively early in the contest meant the 17-year-old was a shadow of his usual self afterwards.
Yamal appeared to signal to the bench during the first half that he wanted to be substituted. But the 2024 Golden Boy winner, who received his trophy before kick-off, ended up staying on the pitch until he was finally substituted with 75 minutes remaining.
Tests have confirmed Yamal has re-injured his ankle ligaments, with a timetable of “three to four weeks” for his recovery.
Manager Hansi Flick was criticized for not making the switch sooner, but assistant Marcus Sorg, who was on the touchline in place of Flick while the latter served a suspension, insisted the decision to continue was from Yamal.
“Lamine decided he was fine and could continue playing. I can’t say he’s fine, we’ll have to wait for the medical team to examine him,” Sorg told reporters.
The injured ankle is the same one that caused Yamal to miss five games Barcelona and Spain in November.
Yamal will miss Saturday’s tough test against fellow title contenders Atletico Madrid, but will benefit from Spanish football’s winter break as he looks to recover as quickly as possible.
Barcelona will play lower league side Barbastro again on January 4, and Yamal is highly unlikely to be risked even if he recovers ahead of schedule.
The Catalans then have a trip to Saudi Arabia a few days later for the Spanish Super Cup, where they will face Athletic Club in a semi-final, before a possible final against Real Madrid or Mallorca . The League it does not resume until the end of the month, when Barça visit Getafe on January 19.
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