Lamine Yamal Knee Scan Row Leaves Spain Coach Furious Before England Clash

• Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has hit out at claims that Lamine Yamal received preferential treatment, per The Guardian.
• Yamal missed the trip to Czechia after a scan found fluid on his knee, and rejoined the squad in Madrid on Friday.
• Spain, unbeaten in 120 minutes for 43 matches, face England in Madrid on Sunday night in their final Nations League group game.

Why a Knee Scan Turned Into a Club Against Country Fight

Asked whether this was unlike him, and whether he seemed unusually angry, Spain’s coach did not back down.

“What upsets me are the lies, the things that are made up, the lack of rigour. And in the face of that, I rebel. So, maybe I said more than I would, but sometimes it is the only way to make people realise, to see. I cannot bear people who lie, who try to mislead.”

The target was a debate over Lamine Yamal that has dominated Spain’s international break. The claims ran in newspaper columns and in furious debates on television and radio, and the coach answered them in public.

What Set Off the Row

Yamal did not join the squad as it prepared for the trip to Czechia. The plan left the door open for him to return in time for the England game. Oyarzabal was handled the same way. Across the last international break, a run of four games, Yamal was the only player to play more than the 270 minute limit the coach had set.

None of that stopped the accusation that the teenager was getting preferential treatment.

De la Fuente answered before the game in Prague. He bemoaned the sophists out there and set out the medical facts himself.

“The saddest, most lamentable thing there is in life is to speak without knowledge,” he said before the game in Prague. “I’m here to cast light. Lamine had some discomfort on his knee and a scan showed some liquid on his knee, so I took the decision that rather than coming here, travelling, he should rest, get treatment. I am optimistic he can join us on Friday. Is that clear?”

Spain have managed Yamal’s workload carefully before: he sat out a training session two days before the World Cup final in July.

The Barcelona Backstory

The row had a history. Barcelona and the federation had already fallen out over how Yamal was treated and what was asked of him. Hansi Flick complained that Spain had not taken care of the player. De la Fuente said he was surprised at the lack of understanding from a man who had been a national team coach himself.

So when Yamal skipped Prague, some claimed the country had given in to the club. The answer to that is on the team sheet: Yamal and Oyarzabal are both available to face England, which looks more like commitment than favours.

Back in Camp for England

Spain beat Czechia 2-0 in Prague, and De la Fuente had news afterwards.

“I’ve got good news,” De la Fuente said after a 2-0 victory over Czechia. “Lamine is in perfect condition and really looking forward to it and Mikel has just become a father; he will appreciate the chance to sleep.”

The squad landed back at Madrid’s Barajas airport from Prague at 1.45pm on Friday and went by bus to their Las Rozas base. Yamal arrived from Barcelona at about the same time, as did Oyarzabal, who made the trip from San Sebastian. At 7.30pm they trained. Rodri and Dani Olmo, two starters from the World Cup final, are injured and will miss the game.

An Awards Night Reunion on the Pitch

Spain lost 23 games ago, on penalties against Portugal in the Nations League final. They have not been beaten in 120 minutes for 43 matches. They are the world and European champions, and Spain won 3-2 against England at Wembley in September, with Yamal scoring inside two minutes.

Sunday also brings the London Palladium awards crowd together again, three weeks on. Harry Kane, England’s most capped outfield player, won the Ballon d’Or and the Gerd Muller trophy. Unai Simon took the Lev Yashin award. De la Fuente was named coach of the year. Yamal won the Kopa award for the third year running and said he would have preferred Pau Cubarsi to be standing there instead. Cubarsi is in the squad too.

With Rodri out, Martin Zubimendi, an Arsenal player with barely 100 Premier League minutes, has another chance. “There are players who play better here than with their clubs,” De la Fuente said. He has a line he repeats about the midfield: “Rodri is the best midfielder in the world; Martín is the second best,” he said. On Simon he went further: “Unai Simón is not just the best goalkeeper in the world, he is the best person in the world.”

The Debate Moves to the Pitch

On Sunday night the Metropolitano is set to be packed for England against Spain, and the argument over Yamal moves from the airwaves to the grass. Yamal is in perfect condition, his coach says, and he is available.