Published: 15:00 GMT, 16 December 2024 | Updated: 15:00 GMT, 16 December 2024
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal is expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks because of an ankle injury, the club said Monday.
Barcelona said the 17-year-old Yamal has a grade-one injury to his right ankle. He sustained the injury in the team's 1-0 loss to Leganes at home in the Spanish league on Sunday, when he had to be replaced in the 75th minute.
He is set to miss Barcelona's match against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league on Saturday and against fourth-division club Barbastro in the Copa del Rey in January. He is also unlikely to be fit for team's game against Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, also in January.
Yamal has already missed time because of a right-ankle injury earlier this season, an ailment that also kept him from playing some matches with Spain's national team.
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Leganes' Javi Hernandez, top, talks to Barcelona's Lamine Yamal as he lies on the pitch after a challenge during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Leganes at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, centre, and Leganes' Renato Tapia, bottom challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Leganes at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, right, and Leganes' goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Leganes at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, right, and Leganes' Javi Hernandez challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Leganes at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)