Lamin Yamal has suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the rest of the season, but his club FC Barcelona said on Thursday that he is expected to be fit in time for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.“Tests have confirmed that first-team player Lamine Yamal has a hamstring injury in his left leg,” Barcelona said.Spain open their Group H campaign against Cape Verde on June 15, followed by Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Uruguay six days later.Yamal suffered the injury during Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo in La Liga on Wednesday.“This injury will keep me off the pitch when I want to be there the most, and it hurts more than I can put into words,” Yamal wrote on social media.“It’s not the end, it’s just a break. I’ll come back with even stronger determination, and next season will be better.”The 18-year-old, who has scored six goals in 25 appearances for Spain since his debut in 2023, won the game and sealed the result with a penalty.After Ionut Radu converted the spot-kick, Yamal went down and asked for treatment, with teammates staying on the ground to celebrate.He was later replaced by Rooney Bardaghjee.“He won’t leave the pitch without reason,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said. “As a coach you have to manage it, you have to live with it. It’s a pity Lamin is injured now.”Barcelona’s win moved them nine points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table with six matches remaining, including the Clasico on May 10.Yamal is the club’s top scorer this season with 24 goals, despite missing games in September and October due to a groin problem.He was also part of Spain’s Euro 2024 winning squad and recently spoke about his goal of playing in the World Cup.
