De la Fuente: Lamine Yamal is on course to become a football legend

Luis de la Fuente says Lamine Yamal is developing towards becoming a football legend after the Barcelona forward impressed again for Spain.

Spain recorded a 3-1 victory in the third round of the Nations League group stage, with Yamal playing in the first half before being substituted.

“ I think Lamine never stops surprising us all,” De la Fuente told reporters after the match. “He is hugely talented and there is still much more to see from the best version of him. He is developing very quickly.”

The Spain manager added: “He is an important player for the national team and has a real influence on the pitch. We are delighted to have him with us.”

Asked whether Yamal could already be regarded as the best player in the world, De la Fuente said: “If he were the only Spaniard among the candidates, I would tell him that he is the best player in the world.

“He does everything well in his position. If he is not the best because there are other Spanish players competing with him, he is certainly among the best. But he is on his way to becoming a legendary player.”

De la Fuente also explained why Yamal was withdrawn after the opening 45 minutes, insisting the coaching staff manage him in the same way as the rest of the squad.

“We treat Lamine exactly like any other player,” he said. “We do not distinguish between players. We care about everyone equally and manage their minutes.”

He said Spain had expected the match to develop differently but had wanted to reduce the physical demands on Yamal.

“We thought the game would go in a different direction, but we wanted to reduce the load on Lamine so he could be in the best possible condition,” De la Fuente said.

Spain’s performance dropped after the interval, with De la Fuente admitting the side lost some of its rhythm despite the impact of the substitutes.

“We played well in the first half. In the second, the substitutions had an effect, but we lost continuity in the way we played,” he said.

The manager highlighted the demands placed on the squad, saying Spain had played four matches in 10 days, including one against Croatia.

“The physical demands are high,” he said. “We have lost some of our sharpness. We want to keep the players healthy, but we also have to win matches.”

De la Fuente added that the schedule would remain demanding, with the squad due to arrive home at 03:00, train the following day and travel again on Monday.

“No player has played more than three matches,” he said. “If we avoid any more injuries, we will be happy to have taken 12 points, but it is extremely difficult.”

The victory moved Spain on to three points at the top of the group with a perfect record.