ไทย
English
中國人
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has confirmed that Lamine Yamal has made a full recovery from the hamstring problem that restricted his participation at the 2026 World Cup, indicating the teenage sensation is now capable of playing an entire game.
Spain takes on Austria in the round of 32 in Los Angeles on Thursday, with both sides kicking off their knockout stage campaigns.
Across three World Cup appearances so far, Yamal has been managed cautiously by De la Fuente due to ongoing fitness concerns. The 18-year-old was left on the bench for the Group H opener against Cabo Verde, before being introduced as a substitute in the second half as Spain failed to find a breakthrough in a 0–0 stalemate.
With Spain's attacking threat under scrutiny, Yamal then featured from the start in the 4–0 demolition of Saudi Arabia—netting the first goal—and the 1–0 win over Uruguay, though he was taken off in both matches.
Yamal Recovery Complete
The winger is now prepared to take on whatever role is required of him, according to his manager.
"Lamine can play whatever we ask him to play," De la Fuente said at his pre-match press conference, speaking through an interpreter when asked about his star player's condition.
"We've been quite careful with him, as we are with managing the recovery of all our players, respecting their timelines and following how the matches develop. Lamine is doing really well now and, above all, you can all see how eager he is to get out there."
He added with a smile: "So we'll see if he plays [against Austria]."
Separately, De la Fuente disclosed that new Liverpool recruit Víctor Muñoz could be in line for some playing time, having sat out all three group stage matches with a calf problem.
"Víctor is in good shape, but he hasn't been in competitive action for quite some time," De la Fuente said. "Depending on how the match unfolds, we'll decide whether to include him or not."
WIN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ FINAL TICKETS & OTHER PRIZES
Spain's Wing Issues
The update on Yamal's fitness will come as a relief to Spain supporters who have watched their side struggle to replicate the dynamic attacking football that defined their triumph at Euro 2024.
Pre-tournament fitness setbacks for both Yamal and Nico Williams—key figures in that summer's success—forced De la Fuente to adjust his setup during the group stage, and Spain's attacking play was visibly muted against Cabo Verde before the pair were introduced from the bench in the second half.
Without the pace and directness that wide players provide, Spain has at times appeared predictable against teams content to sit deep, controlling the ball but struggling to break through organized defenses.
Compounding the problems, Muñoz—a natural cover option for either Williams or Yamal—arrived at the tournament carrying his own injury, while fellow winger Yéremy Pino sustained a concerning-looking shoulder injury during the victory over Uruguay.
Remarkably, De la Fuente has suggested that Pino could feature against Austria after making a "miraculous" recovery, while Williams is now reportedly experiencing only "mild discomfort."
Spain's World Cup Knockout Curse
Spain may enter their round of 32 encounter with Austria as favorites, but history casts a long shadow over the European champions, who have not won a World Cup knockout fixture since lifting the trophy in 2010.
In the years since, Spain suffered a group stage elimination in 2014 and fell at the round of 16 on penalties against Russia and Morocco in 2018 and 2022 respectively.
La Roja has yet to hit top gear in this tournament, but De la Fuente is determined to rise to the occasion and lay old demons to rest at SoFi Stadium on Thursday.
SI answers is our AI answer engine trained on human-created content.
"We genuinely embrace high expectations. We're the first ones to demand more from ourselves. You have to adapt to your opponents—that drives improvement. The team is already beginning to rediscover many of the automatic patterns from before, and we're also very pleased with what we've put out so far. But now there's no margin for error; we have to win," he told the media.
When pressed specifically on the possibility of a penalty shootout, he responded: "We prepare for everything. Today, yesterday... We try to cover all possible scenarios based on what we know about the opponent. You might have an ideal list of penalty takers, but some of them might not be available. We'll deal with that if and when it comes."