Yéremy Pino is expected to miss the remainder of the World Cup due to a broken collarbone, raising alarms about Nico Williams’s potential absence because of a groin issue. Spain’s advancement to the knockout stage has come at a significant cost.
Returning to Chattanooga from Guadalajara shortly before 5 am on Saturday, the team will conduct evaluations on both wingers to determine the severity of their injuries. The national squad is scheduled to train again at 6 pm local time.
Spain secured first place in Group H with a 1-0 victory over Uruguay in a match that was marked by physical play and moments of violence. Pino, who entered the game as a substitute in the second half, suffered a hard fall. Despite continuing to play until the end, he left the stadium with his arm immobilized in a sling.
Coach Luis de la Fuente praised Pino’s determination, calling his performance “Well, we’ll see tomorrow. He might have an injury that prevents him from playing the rest of this World Cup. With Nico, we’ll see. He has some discomfort. We’ll see the extent of that tomorrow. “We don’t know [what Williams’s injury is]. He has some small discomfort: it could be a muscle strain, it could be fatigue. We will wait until tomorrow. What we do [know], I’m sorry to say, is the tremendous pain we feel at Yéremy’s injury, which does look very bad, and there is a high possibility he will miss the rest of the competition.” but indicated that a suspected fracture could sideline him for the remainder of the tournament.
Williams, who also came off the bench, exited the stadium limping and with his head down. Although he was the target of a brutal challenge from Nicolás de la Cruz, which ignited altercations late in the match, it remains unclear if that led to his injury.
De la Fuente mentioned uncertainty regarding Williams’s condition, stating he could be experiencing either a muscle strain or fatigue. However, there are growing concerns that the injury may be more serious as the team heads back to their training base in Tennessee.
Víctor Muñoz, a recent signing for Liverpool who has yet to participate in the tournament, continues to train separately. Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal, who is also recovering from an injury, has begun to start in recent matches, creating fitness concerns for all four natural wingers in the squad.
After the match against Uruguay, the coach hinted at the possibility of proceeding to the next round without wingers. “We’re getting a bit short on specialist wingers,” De la Fuente began to say, pausing before continuing: “We won’t change our ideas, but will have different players with different characteristics. If we can’t play with wingers, we’ll play without wingers.”
“We don’t know [what Williams’s injury is]. He has some small discomfort; it could be a muscle strain, it could be fatigue. We will wait until tomorrow. What we do [know], I’m sorry to say, is the tremendous pain we feel at Yéremy’s injury, which does look very bad, and there is a high possibility he will miss the rest of the competition.”
Both Williams and Yamal came to the World Cup while still on the mend from injuries, with De la Fuente attempting to gradually integrate them into the lineup. Yamal, sidelined since April, made appearances as a substitute in Spain’s opening match against Cape Verde and started in the subsequent games against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, although he is not yet fully fit, having played 19, 45, and 75 minutes respectively in the three matches.
Williams aimed to be completely fit for the match against Uruguay after enduring a season marred by a sportsman’s hernia, groin, and hamstring injuries. He expressed confidence in playing a full 90 minutes, but was only brought on in the 76th minute. His appearances in the tournament have been limited, having played just six of the past 15 games and completing 90 minutes only three times.
Muñoz has faced challenges as well, suffering a calf injury before the tournament began and later experiencing another muscular setback. While he is now training on the field, he has not yet rejoined his teammates.
“We’re getting a bit short on specialist wingers,” De la Fuente remarked. “We won’t change our ideas, but will have different players with different characteristics. If we can’t play with wingers, we’ll play without wingers.”
