Lamine Yamal has sparked fears of a serious hamstring injury after the 18-year-old was forced off after scoring the only goal of FC Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo in La Liga.
The Spaniard confidently dispatched his 40th-minute penalty into the bottom right-hand corner but he pulled up just as he went to wheel away in celebration, immediately signalling something to the bench before collapsing to the ground and holding the back of his left leg.
He was swiftly replaced by Roony Bardghji, with the Blaugrana going on to win the game to maintain their nine-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
The exact nature of his injury is still unconfirmed, and while he will undergo scans to confirm the severity, it looks likely he will miss some potentially crucial games in the La Liga title run-in.
Barcelona have six games left of their league season and face Getafe and Osasuna in their next two matches, before a potentially pivotal El Clasico game against Real Madrid on 10 May at the Camp Nou.
After the match, his Barcelona teammate Pedri said that he hopes Yamal “misses the smallest possible amount of time”.
“He'll undergo the tests tomorrow and we'll see the nature of the issue. I wish him all the best, and that he stays calm because he's still young,” said the Spaniard.
And while those next three games for his club are certainly under threat, early reports in Spanish media suggest that Yamal may even be a doubt to play at the upcoming World Cup if his injury is as serious as expected.
The tournament is now just 50 days away, and according to Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo, “initial examinations” on the injury suggest he has “suffered a tear in his left hamstring”, with suggestions he might be “sidelined for at least five weeks”.
While a five-week timeline would be enough for Yamal to be fit in time for Spain’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde on 15 June, he will hope it is not a more serious tear. He is the latest young talent to suffer a hamstring issue, with Chelsea’s Estevao also a doubt to make the World Cup after picking up his own hamstring injury last weekend.