Spain’s Yéremy Pino is expected to miss the remainder of the World Cup due to a broken collarbone, while concerns are growing over Nico Williams, who may be sidelined with a groin injury. The team’s qualification for the knockout stage has come at a significant cost.
After returning to Chattanooga from Guadalajara just before 5 am on Saturday, Spain will conduct tests on both wingers to evaluate the severity of their injuries. The national team is scheduled to train again at 6 pm local time.
Spain secured first place in Group H following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Uruguay, a match characterized by its physicality and intensity. Pino, who was substituted in during the second half, suffered a severe fall. Although he managed to continue playing 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 effort “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 is likely to keep him out for the remainder of the tournament.
Williams also entered the match as a substitute but exited the stadium limping and with his head down. While he was the target of a harsh challenge from Nicolás de la Cruz, which led to confrontations in the closing minutes, it remains unclear if this was the root of his injury.
De la Fuente expressed uncertainty regarding Williams’s condition, stating he might be dealing with either a muscle strain or fatigue. However, there is a growing concern that the injury could be more serious as the team heads back to their training base in Tennessee.
The newly signed Liverpool player Víctor Muñoz, who has yet to see action in the tournament, continues to train separately. Additionally, Lamine Yamal is returning from injury but has only recently been able to start the last two games, raising fitness concerns for all four natural wingers on the squad.
In the wake of the match against Uruguay, De la Fuente hinted at the possibility of facing the next round without any wingers. “We’re getting a bit short on specialist wingers,” he began, stopping briefly 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.”
Similar to Yamal, Williams came to the World Cup still recovering from previous injuries, as the coach has been gradually integrating both wingers into the lineup. After being sidelined since April, Yamal had made his return as a substitute against Cape Verde and started the subsequent matches against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay as he works towards complete fitness. Although he has shown progress, he has played 19, 45, and 75 minutes in Spain’s three matches thus far.
Williams had aimed for the match against Uruguay to mark his full recovery after a challenging season that included a sportsman’s hernia, along with groin and hamstring injuries. He had previously expressed confidence in playing a full 90 minutes, yet he was only substituted in during the 76th minute. He had entered the game shortly after the hour mark against Saudi Arabia and late in the match against Cape Verde. Out of the last 15 matches, he has only completed 90 minutes three times.
As for Muñoz, he suffered a calf injury in the lead-up to the tournament and faced an additional setback with another muscular issue. While he is currently training on the pitch, he has not yet rejoined his teammates.
“We’re getting a bit short on specialist wingers,” De la Fuente stated. “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.”
