Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has warned Lamine Yamal not to speed up his career after the 17-year-old shot to fame at Euro 2024.
Barcelona’s teenage sensation Yamal has been making waves The League since his first-team debut in 2023, but it was his efforts at the European Championship in Germany that propelled his career onto the world stage.
He has already scored five goals in 11 games during the 2024/25 campaign and will play an integral role in the Spanish national team. UEFA Nations League games after playing against Serbia and Switzerland in September.
However, De la Fuente remains wary of asking too much of the young winger, warning Yamal not to rush his progression.
“Lamine is something different in the selection game,” he said Sports World. “But we must not forget that these are very young players. He is a boy, he is 17 years old and he is still in the training phase. He will live very difficult moments, in which he will be questioned.
“When you see that he has that touch – I say he touches that rod of God – that is different. They are players who at 17 years old have nothing to do with a boy of their age. They are much more mature, with a degree of very important responsibility, who interpret and accept any proposal and situation you put to them because they are great.
“But I have also seen some of these footballers who have fallen by the wayside. Don’t make the mistake of wanting to walk faster than necessary, you can ruin yourself. You have to control whether you play football very well and the thousand other details which are really important.”
Spain face Denmark in their third Nations League match on Saturday evening, just days before hosting Serbia at the Estadio Nuevo Arcangel.