World Cup 2026: Marcos Llorente rallies behind heartbroken Nico Williams

Spain midfielder Marcos Llorente has revealed that teammate Nico Williams is beginning to recover emotionally from the latest injury setback that has placed his World Cup campaign in doubt.

Williams described the recurrence of his groin injury as “one of the worst days of my life” after Spain’s 1-0 victory over Uruguay, a result that secured top spot in the group but came at a significant cost.

The Athletic Club winger, who had been carefully managed back to fitness after a difficult season, suffered another blow shortly after coming off the bench.

Speaking from Spain’s training base in Chattanooga, Llorente said the squad had rallied around the 23-year-old, helping him cope with another frustrating chapter in an injury-plagued year.

‘He’s got that usual smile back’

While Williams’ social media post reflected the emotional weight of his latest setback, Llorente believes the winger is already showing signs of recovering mentally.

“Social media… in the end you read a few words and you don’t really know how that person is doing,” he said.

“It’s true that this is a very difficult moment for him after everything he’s been through this year. He’s already handling it much better, he’s got that usual smile back.”

Llorente acknowledged that missing matches would continue to hurt Williams but stressed that the entire squad is doing everything possible to support him, as well as fellow injured winger Yéremy Pino.

“Obviously, inside he’ll have that pain of not being able to help the team, but we’re all helping him deal with it, just like with Yeremy.”

He also expressed hope that Spain’s progress in the tournament could give Williams a chance to return before the competition ends.

“In the end, there are 26 of us who came here and 26 who will leave here. The group is very important. If we go far, maybe he can help at some point.”

Spain remain focused on Austria

Williams has endured a frustrating campaign after spending much of the past season battling injuries. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente had eased him back into action at the World Cup, limiting his minutes before the latest setback.

His absence leaves Spain short of attacking options ahead of Thursday’s Round of 32 clash against Austria, with Pino also nursing an injury.

Despite the prospect of facing either Portugal or Croatia in the next round and the possibility of a semi-final against France, Llorente insisted Spain are refusing to look beyond their immediate challenge.

“I don’t look at the path ahead because you have to go step by step,” he said.

“I’m focused on Austria, which is what matters, and once we get past Austria, then we’ll start imagining.”