Lamine Yamal set for spell on the Barcelona bench

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal was tipped for world domination at the start of the season, but the opening stages of the campaign have far from gone to plan. The Spain international has been hindered by a groin issue which has seen him far from his best.

During the opening two matches, Lamine Yamal showed signs of continuing his imperious form from the backend of last season. Yet a groin injury has been impacting him since, and caused him to miss five games over September and October. Even when playing though, Lamine Yamal looks some way off his form earlier this year.

The concerning thing is that there is no simple recovery period or treatment for Lamine Yamal’s injury, and thus predicting a return to his best is not simple either. Marca say that Barcelona have decided that Lamine Yamal must spend more time on the bench though. The medical staff at the club have communicated to him that in order to make a full and proper recovery, he will have to spend more time on the bench.

Image via Alex Caparros/Getty Images

That means not only coming off in the final periods of games, as he has been doing since the October international break, but also accepting that he will not play every game. Understandably, after such a phenomenal season, Lamine Yamal will be reluctant to accept anything less than the omnipresent role he took on towards the end of the last campaign.

– Tuesday, 4 November 2025

Part of the issue for Flick is that he does not have a natural alternative who can come into crucial games. Roony Bardghji is the most natural fit, but the Swedish forward remains inexperienced and raw, albeit he has shown flashes of form. Marcus Rashford could become a more regular sight on the right, having been used there on occasion. Once Raphinha is back from injury, he can also operate on the right, while Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo can shift there in situations of need.