Every international break brings injury scares, and some times it’s just nothing to worry about. Other times, however, it is something serious. During the closing stages of Spain’s World Cup qualifying victory over Bulgaria on Thursday Lamine Yamal was forced off early. According to reports however, he has avoided any serious injury issues at this time.
Yamal only has back discomfort, and although he missed the training session with Spain yesterday, he is in contention to play against Turkey on Sunday.
In other words, no worries, he’s fine.
Alejandro Balde
Three days ago, the club posted an official statement confirming that Balde: “suffered a slight injury to his left hamstring during today’s training session. His availability will depend on how he progresses.”
According to reports, he should be back to full fitness in about three weeks or so.
Gavi
He is expected to miss out on Barca’s next match due to where he’s at in the recovery stage. He’s made great progress in rehabbing his knee injury, but he’s not there yet.
Frenkie de Jong
This is another injury scare, where there is actually nothing to worry about. De Jong left Netherlands camp early and returned to Barcelona. But he’s fine, as Dutch national team boss said the the midfield maestro “felt tightness in his glute, so we didn’t take any risks.”
He should be fine for next weekend.
Lamine Yamal
Already covered him, up top in the intro. Yamal should be fine for Barca’s next match, when they welcome in Valencia, for a La Liga fixture a week from tomorrow.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter