Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya said on Monday that Lamine Yamal is not 100 per cent fit to play against Serbia in the Nations League because of the muscle strain he suffered against Denmark, and the best thing was for him to “go to Barcelona to recover”.
David Raya was the Spanish player chosen to take to the press room on Monday. The goalkeeper, as expected, was questioned about the most topical issue.
“With Lamine, the coaching staff has decided that he should go to Barcelona to recover from the discomfort and that’s the best thing to do. If you can’t give 100% as the coach asks, the decision is made. These are day-to-day things and from the outside, you can see it differently, but inside we saw that he had an overload, that he was injured and not at 100%,” he told reporters.
Raya called for the pressure to be lowered on a 17-year-old player like Yamal and not to compare him to anyone who has made football history.
“I understand the comparisons in the press, but he should not be compared to anyone. He is a 17-year-old boy who is touched by a wand, he is a genius, a great player who has something special, but we have to stop making comparisons. It is better to let him enjoy football because he is very young. He’s at the top right now, but there are going to come difficult moments and that’s when we have to support him,” he added.
