Lamine Yamal resumes Spain training as World Cup injury issues mount
Spain winger Lamine Yamal has returned to full training following a hamstring injury, providing a major boost ahead of their World Cup opener against Cape Verde on Monday.
The 18-year-old sensation has been sidelined since late April but was spotted rejoining the squad at their Tennessee base.
Head coach Luis de la Fuente expects the teenage prodigy to be ready for action, though his minutes on the pitch may be carefully managed.
Fellow attackers Nico Williams and Mikel Merino have also shaken off their respective fitness issues to declare themselves available.
Neymar targets Brazil return
Elsewhere in the tournament, Brazil are closely monitoring their veteran forward after he missed an opening draw against Morocco.
The 34-year-old sustained a grade two calf strain just three weeks before the finals began in North America.
National team manager Carlo Ancelotti remains optimistic that the former Paris St-Germain star will feature against Haiti next Friday.
“Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible. The expectation is that he can rejoin the group next week.”
Carlo Ancelotti
Pulisic withdrawn as a precaution
United States captain Christian Pulisic is managing a calf problem of his own after being substituted during a 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Los Angeles.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino replaced the AC Milan playmaker at half-time to prevent any long-term muscle damage.
“He received a kick in his calf and he felt tight at the end of the first half. We didn’t want to take any risks.”
Mauricio Pochettino
The American forward later reassured reporters, explaining that he expects to be fully fit for Friday’s clash with Australia in San Francisco.
Davies sidelined for Canada
Meanwhile, co-hosts Canada were forced to navigate their 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina without Alphonso Davies.
The dynamic full-back sat out the fixture in Toronto, but management staff are hopeful he will return to face Qatar in Vancouver.