The Real Reason Lamine Yamal Is Sitting Out Barcelona's Preseason Clash Against CE Europa

After a summer spent living out his childhood dream, Lamine Yamal has been rewarded with some well-deserved time off.

Despite arriving at the tournament having suffered a hamstring injury that ended his club season, Yamal appeared in every World Cup game for Spain, starting seven matches and playing every available minute from the round of 16 through to the final.

Hansi Flick has previously had an inconsistent approach to managing the workload of his teenage star. "I tell Lamine champions don't rest," Barcelona's head coach once admitted. Yet, following the most emotionally and physically demanding summer of his young senior career, the newly crowned world champion has been granted some much-needed downtime.

Where Is Lamine Yamal—and When Will He Be Back?

Lamine Yamal via IG. pic.twitter.com/fexIbbzNZY

Yamal returned to Spain alongside his fellow countrymen to celebrate with an open-top bus parade featuring the World Cup trophy. While he was seen watching his younger brother Keyne add to his own growing fame by cruising through the Spanish streets in a toy car, Yamal was later photographed relaxing on the Balearic island of Ibiza.

Every World Cup participant is entitled to a mandatory three-week break before returning for preseason duties. Since Yamal and his Spanish teammates went all the way to the final, he won't be back in training at Barcelona until at least the week of Aug. 10.

This means the 19-year-old will miss the club's entire summer training camp in England, which concludes on Aug. 3. However, Yamal is expected to return in plenty of time for Barcelona's traditional preseason showcase, the Joan Gamper Trophy, which is anticipated to be played against Egyptian club Al Ahly on Aug. 19.

Barcelona's Missing World Cup Contingent

Yamal was one of 15 Barcelona players who featured at the World Cup. As many as eight were part of Luis de la Fuente's triumphant squad, all of whom will benefit from the same extended rest period. Having reached the semifinals, England's Anthony Gordon and France's Jules Koundé will also be gradually reintegrated, while delayed returns are also expected for the likes of João Cancelo and Hamza Abdelkarim.

Raphinha's World Cup was cut short prematurely due to a muscular problem, yet it is the knee injury suffered by Frenkie de Jong that has raised the most alarm. Barcelona's key central midfielder is expected to be out for four to five months after pushing through the pain barrier for the Netherlands.

The Senior Barcelona Players for Hansi Flick to Assess

With his large group of World Cup players absent alongside the injured duo of Ronald Araujo and Alejandro Balde, Flick's pool of available players to evaluate is remarkably thin. Even new signing Karim Adeyemi only officially completed his move the day before the friendly.

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Marc Casadó and Roony Bardghji are two players who can look to capitalize on this unusual lack of internal competition. Both have previously been linked with departures from Catalonia—speculation that appears to contradict the wishes of the players themselves.

Should either hope to make a case for themselves to Flick, a behind-closed-doors friendly against a side from the lower tiers of Spanish football may not be the most prestigious stage, but it is an opportunity neither can truly afford to let slip by.