Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has hit back at those criticising him over the treatment Lamine Yamal has received since he rose to stardom with club and country.
Yamal has become an household name in the world of sport since the start of the year, and the 17-year-old played a huge part of Spain’s European Championship victory this summer.
However, the Barcelona winger is set for some time out off the pitch after sustaining an injury during Spain’s recent Nations League clash against Denmark.
Yamal suffered a hamstring overload and De La Fuente has been criticised for overplaying the youngster. However, the La Roja boss is having none of it.
Speaking to the media, De la Fuente said: “Lamine had some discomfort at the end of the match. I spoke to him and he told me that he thought he wouldn’t be 100% fit on Tuesday and when in doubt we always bet on the health of the athlete. Football is football, if it has to happen, it will happen. The message is always the same and that’s why he’s at home. He played because he had to play and there’s no more debate.
“What saddens me the most is that there are people who take the bait. I’ll make that clear. Last year we played 17 international matches because we were lucky enough to reach the final of the European Championship, but this year we’re going to play ten. In total 27 in two years, one a month. The problem is another and we have enough with our own problems.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone at Barça, although I have a good relationship with them. He’s been honest, he’s not feeling well and I thank him for his maturity to tell me that he’s not 100 percent. I thank him for that.”
Spain will qualify for the Nations League knockout stages if they beat Serbia later this week.
As such, De la Fuente was questioned whether he would rest the senior players for the last two group stage clashes.
The La Roja boss responded: “We want to be first and we will continue to demand the maximum from ourselves. We all want to win and we have to use the tools we have. That’s what we’re paid for, but we’re not kamikazes who put the health of the players at risk.”
