Barcelona star Lamine Yamal caused concern when he injured himself taking a penalty on Wednesday and was immediately substituted with the start of the World Cup on the horizon.
The 18-year-old, who has taken the football world by storm in the last couple of years, scored the spot kick in the first-half of his side’s league game against Celta Vigo.
Yamal won the penalty himself and scored it too, firing into the bottom left corner to give his side the lead. There was cause for concern immediately, though, when he fell to the ground.
As he ran off to celebrate, the Spaniard signalled immediately for medical staff before falling to the floor as he was surrounded by team-mates.
He appeared to grab his hamstring, and was eventually substituted after receiving treatment on the field.
The teenager was able to walk off the field of play, but unable to continue, and Roony Bardghji came on to replace him.
Lamine Yamal has caused concern after leaving the field of play on Wednesday with an apparent hamstring injury
The Spain forward picked up the injury while taking a penalty with the World Cup now just 50 days away
The severity of Yamal’s injury is yet to be determined, with the World Cup just 50 days away.
According to Spanish publication Diario AS, however, he may have suffered a muscle tear.
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The typical return time for a muscle tear injury is varied. For a grade one tear, just days can pass before a player can return. Grade two typically requires around three weeks of recovery and a grade three tear can take three months or more to come back from.
Spain’s first game at the World Cup is on June 15 against Cape Verde, which is in 54 days – or nearly eight weeks.
The forward is key to Spain’s hopes of success at the summer’s tournament in North America, having played a key role in their Euro 2024 success.
He was seen walking down the tunnel at the Nou Camp, with fans watching on nervously. Yamal has struggled with groin issues this season, but the incident appeared to be a separate injury.
The forward has netted 24 goals and picked up a further 17 assists in 44 games this season.
