Lamine Yamal is healthy enough to play full matches for Spain in knockout rounds, De La Fuente says

INGLEWOOD (US): (Jul 2) (AP) Lamine Yamal is now healthy enough to play a full World Cup match for Spain if needed, coach Luis De La Fuente said Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Barcelona winger scored just one goal while playing only 141 minutes across Spain’s three group matches, making him arguably the only world superstar who hasn’t excelled in this star-dominated World Cup. Yamal’s minutes have been limited by Spain to optimize his recovery from his hamstring tear on April 22.

When De La Fuente spoke to reporters at SoFi Stadium before the start of knockout play, he indicated that Yamal’s recovery is all but complete as La Roja prepares to face Austria in a round of 32 match on Thursday.