Soccer-Spain must be patient, says Yamal as he continues to manage return from injury

Spain winger Lamine Yamal is not yet ready for a full match at the World Cup, but remains available for limited minutes in Sunday's game against Saudi Arabia.

Spain winger Lamine Yamal said on Friday he is not yet ready to play a full match at the ‌World Cup as he continues his carefully managed return from a hamstring injury, though the 18-year-old remains available for limited minutes in Sunday's game against Saudi Arabia. The Barcelona forward played 25 minutes in Spain's lacklustre 0-0 draw with Cape Verde in their ‌opening, his first appearance in nearly two months. Spain face Saudi Arabia on Sunday, with Yamal's fitness already a central talking ‌point as the European champions look to ignite a campaign that began with a splutter rather than a sparkle.

"I'm fine, I'm feeling good, but it's too soon, it's unnecessary; I'm still settling in – it's not the right time to play a full match yet – but I can play for ⁠as many ​minutes as the manager wants," ⁠Yamal told Spanish public television TVE. “I want to be on the pitch; at the end of the day, even if you know you can’t play ⁠for 90 minutes, you always want to get out there and help the team.”

Yamal, who helped Spain win a record-extending fourth European Championship ​title in 2024, said the injury had inevitably made him think about the World Cup. "All players in the final ⁠stages of the season – with every injury, you think about the World Cup, and obviously about your team, but the World Cup is always on ⁠your ​mind," he said.

"After I've heard about the injury, thank God the doctors told me I was going to be ready, and here we are, happy. I hope I never get injured again." Spain's draw with Cape Verde prompted criticism, but Yamal ⁠said the reaction should not become a drama.

"It's best to move on," he said. "There was a bit of a fuss ⁠over a draw, but in ⁠the end lots of teams have struggled in the first round – it doesn't mean anything. "Obviously, we have to win on Sunday because we're among the favourites, but just because you've drawn ‌doesn't mean you're ‌one of the worst teams in the World Cup."