Barcelona has suffered another setback with the news that rising star Lamine Yamal will be sidelined for approximately a month due to an ankle injury. The 17-year-old sustained the injury during the first half of their surprising 1-0 home defeat to Leganes on Sunday. Despite the discomfort, Yamal persevered until the 75th minute before being substituted.
"Tests carried out on Monday have revealed that the player has a grade 1 injury to the anterior tibiofibular ligament in the ankle. The player is expected to be out for three to four weeks," confirmed the club's official website.
This injury comes just two weeks after Yamal's return from a previous ankle injury that kept him out for three weeks in November. The previous injury forced him to miss three club games and ruled him out of international duty with Spain.
Yamal's absence will be a significant blow to Barcelona's aspirations. He will miss the crucial upcoming La Liga match against Atletico Madrid, who are now level on points at the top of the table. The injury also rules him out of the Copa del Rey third round tie and the Spanish Supercup semifinal against Athletic Bilbao. His availability for the La Liga match against Getafe on January 19th remains uncertain.
Sunday's defeat to Leganes highlights Barcelona's recent struggles in La Liga. The club has only managed to collect five points from their last six matches. A loss to Atletico Madrid next weekend could see them relinquish their league leadership.
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