Lamine Yamal is set to be out for a total of four to six weeks, which would leave him able to return by the 6th of June, nine days before Spain kick off the World Cup against Cape Verde in Atlanta. The 18-year-old admitted that he was hurt by the injury afterwards, but it will no doubt be a major boost that his World Cup is not at risk.
At least in theory. Sports specialist Dr. Pedro Luis Ripoll appeared on Cadena SER on Thursday night, warning that the chances of Lamine Yamal being fully fit for the start of the World Cup are slim. Ripoll notes that the time out predicted is until he can return to training rather than games, and that the standard would be that he would be required to complete six training sessions before being able to play at the top level again. His assessment is that Lamine Yamal is likely to miss the first game, then being potentially fit to face Saudi Arabia (21/06) and Uruguay (27/6).
Barcelona’s hamstring problems
Dr. Ripoll goes on to say that Barcelona have suffered from similar issues all season, and that the injury Lamine Yamal has, usually presents a 30% risk of relapse. That risk has been double for Barcelona players this season, as he points out.
“FC Barcelona has had nine players injured with this type of injury throughout the season, and the great danger of this injury is relapse. So, if they put the player back into action abruptly from the beginning, there is a great risk of relapse. In fact, of the nine players who have suffered hamstring problems, six have relapsed.”
The most notable case has been Raphinha, who has twice gone down with hamstring injuries, and once relapsed before returning to action as he attempted to return from injury. The Brazilian’s absence has been a significant problem for Hansi Flick this season.
