Spain boss De la Fuente responds to calls for Barcelona star to be rested

Spanish national team head coach Luis de la Fuente has on Friday issued a response to the ongoing calls for Lamine Yamal to be afforded a rest.

Wide-man Lamine was on Friday afforded his latest international call-up, for Spain’s upcoming Nations League outings against Denmark and Serbia.

As much comes amid what has proven a hectic long-term stretch of fixtures for the 17-year-old.

Lamine, after playing 50 matches for Barcelona last season, went on to play a leading role for Spain at the European Championships, too.

And, since, he has featured from the off in nine of the Blaugrana’s ten fixtures in 2024/25.

A brutal run for a player of any age, calls, in turn, have begun to mount for Lamine to be afforded what would come as some well-earned rest.

Speaking to the media on Friday, the possibility of giving his key winger a night off in one of Spain’s upcoming fixtures was therefore put to La Roja boss Luis de la Fuente.

Safe to say, however, that the tactician was in no mood to entertain such requests:

“A FIFA study of 40 national teams over the last 12 years showed that national team minutes account for 3.5% of the minutes players accumulate in their legs. National team matches do not ‘injure’ anyone.”

Conor Laird – GSFN