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Lamine Yamal will be out for between three and four weeks with damaged ankle ligaments, Barcelona’s LaLiga chiefs have said.
Spanish winger Yamal missed three club games and two internationals with an ankle injury in November but returned to add four assists in five games before suffering a further problem in Barca’s 1-0 defeat at home to Leganes on Sunday.
The 17-year-old was replaced by Gavi in the 75th minute at the Estada Olimpic Lluis Companys as his side dropped points for the fifth time in six league games.
Laminated Yamal. Golden boy. pic.twitter.com/7oQ2kSan0h
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 15, 2024
Injury to Yamal: When will he return?
Yamal’s absence is a major blow for Barcelona as they prepare to host second-placed Atletico Madrid on Saturday (20:00 GMT).
The Euro 2024 winner is unlikely to be so sorely missed when Barca visit fourth-tier side Barbastro in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on January 4 (6pm), with their game against Athletic Bilbao in Jeddah, Spain, the earliest he could return. Semi-finals of the Supercup on January 8 (7 p.m.).
Barcelona will then have a break of more than 10 days before visiting Getafe – who are currently fifth at the bottom of LaLiga – in mid-January.
Their seventh Champions League game this season is against Portugal’s Benfica in the league stage on January 21 (7pm).
MEDICAL NEWS ❗️
First team player Lamine Yamal was hit in the right ankle during the match against CD Leganés on Sunday. Tests carried out on Monday revealed that the player has a grade one ankle ligament injury. The player is expected to miss 3… pic.twitter.com/IAFD0pWFSS
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 16, 2024
Yamal statistics
With six club goals and 11 assists this season, Yamal is Barca’s top goalscorer behind Roberto Lewandowski and Raphinha and has the third most assists of any player in Europe’s top five leagues.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Liverpool’s top scorer Mohamed Salah are the only players to have scored more goals in those categories.
He has completed 90 minutes in each of Barcelona’s last three games, including assisting Ferran Torres’ 85th-minute winner in a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on 11 December.
Barcelona had lost three of the four games Yamal had not started before their 5-1 win at Mallorca on December 3, when the boy wonder provided two assists.
🔄 Replacements
→🟢 Gavi, Cubarsí
←🔴 Lamine Yamal, Eric#BarçaLeganés pic.twitter.com/QiaXXlFEB0— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 15, 2024
Barcelona: Yamal ‘very important’
“He is very important,” manager Hansi Flick said after that game. “He can generate many things for the team. We know his quality and we need him.”
Barcelona’s loss of form has handed the initiative to Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in the race for the Spanish title, both of whom have a game in hand over Flick’s side.
Atleti are tied with them on points, while the current champions are one point behind.
