He is in perfect condition — Spain coach insists Yamal is fit amid pubalgia concerns

Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente remains bullish about Lamine Yamal's participation, stating that the teenager was in perfect condition to play, despite his recent fitness problems. 

The European Championship-winning coach named Yamal in his squad for the upcoming international break, in which Spain will lock horns against Georgia and Turkey in World Cup qualifying matches. 

Yamal's fitness has been a concern in recent weeks, as he has been dealing with an ongoing case of pubalgia. However, he featured in Barcelona’s last two matches. Hence, De la Fuente insists the youngster is fit and able to participate.

“I say, from conviction, that Lamine Yamal is in perfect condition,” he told reporters. “His coach has said that he was fit to play. He'll be here as long as we deem appropriate. We need our best players here.”

Yamal’s groin problem surfaced during Spain’s September international break: he featured for Spain in the qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey but returned to Barcelona carrying a groin complaint.

An angry Hansi Flick publicly criticised the Spanish set-up, accusing Spain’s medical/management staff of “not taking care of the players”, saying Yamal had played substantial minutes (73 and 79) while reportedly being given painkillers to do so, and that was “a shame”. 

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente pushed back and downplayed the row in subsequent interviews. De la Fuente said there was “no conflict” with Flick and defended Spain’s handling. 

He stressed that players want to represent their country, that medical decisions are complex, and that he saw no wrongdoing in Yamal being used (Spain emphasised they had monitored the player).