Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said he is keeping a close eye on Lamine Yamal's minutes with Spain during the international break, with the Barcelona teenager looking to continue his sensational form against Croatia on Tuesday. Yamal, 19, has scored four goals in three games already against England, Croatia and Czechia, helping Spain top their Nations League group with maximum points so far.
The Ballon d'Or contender has already made 11 starts this season for club and country, but -- speaking in a news conference in Split on Monday -- de la Fuente said he was monitoring the minutes played by Yamal, and all his teammates, during a hectic four-game international break. "I already mentioned how tough this four-match series would be," de la Fuente said. "One important point I'd like to highlight is that no-one will play more than 270 minutes, which would be three games out of the four."
Yamal played 90 minutes in Spain's 3-2 win over England at Wembley, and then 68 minutes against Croatia last week, before being withdrawn at halftime in Saturday's 3-1 win against Czechia in Oviedo. He scored goals inside two minutes against both England and Croatia, before finding the net within six minutes against Czechia.
"Lamine is always ready to play," de la Fuente said. "They all want to play. After that, we assess whether or not it's the right move. He's in fantastic form, he's a key figure and he's a competitor." Barcelona are now facing a busy month ending with a Clásico against Real Madrid on Oct. 25, while Tuesday's opponents Croatia are looking to bounce back from a heavy 7-0 defeat to England on Saturday.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing