Yéremy Pino is set to miss the remainder of the World Cup due to a broken collarbone, raising alarms for Spain as they may also lose Nico Williams to a groin injury. The qualification for the knockout stage has come at a significant cost.
Spain’s squad arrived back in Chattanooga from Guadalajara shortly before 5 a.m. on Saturday. Both wingers will undergo medical assessments to determine the severity of their injuries, while the team is scheduled to train again at 6 p.m. local time.
In a physically demanding match, Spain secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Uruguay, ensuring they topped Group H. Pino, who entered the game as a substitute in the second half, suffered a heavy fall but managed to continue playing until the end. He left the stadium with his arm in a sling.
Coach Luis de la Fuente praised Pino’s resilience, labeling him “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.” and indicating that the player likely has a fracture that could sideline him for the rest of the tournament.
Williams, who was also brought on during the second half, exited the stadium visibly distressed and limping. Although he faced a reckless challenge from Nicolás de la Cruz, which led to confrontations in the dying minutes, it remains unclear if this incident caused his injury.
De la Fuente expressed uncertainty regarding Williams’s condition, suggesting it could be either a muscle strain or fatigue. There is growing concern that the prognosis could be more severe as the national team makes its way back to their training base in Tennessee.
Víctor Muñoz, the latest signing for Liverpool, has yet to feature in the tournament and continues to train alone. Alongside Lamine Yamal, who is also recovering from injury and has started the last two matches, the team now faces fitness questions regarding all four natural wingers in the squad.
Following the match against Uruguay, De la Fuente acknowledged the possibility of advancing without wingers. “We’re getting a bit short on specialist wingers,” he remarked, pausing before he continued, “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 arrived at the World Cup while still recovering from prior injuries, with the coach attempting to gradually integrate both players back into the squad. Having been out since April, Yamal made his return as a substitute in Spain’s opening match against Cape Verde, starting subsequent matches against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay as he nears full fitness. However, he is not yet fully match-fit, having played 19, 45, and 75 minutes in Spain’s three games thus far.
Williams had aimed to be fully fit for the match against Uruguay after enduring a season marked by a sportsman’s hernia, along with groin and hamstring injuries. He had expressed confidence in his ability to play a full 90 minutes but was brought on in the 76th minute instead. He had previously entered the game against Saudi Arabia just after the hour mark and came on in the 87th minute against Cape Verde. Over the last 15 games, he has appeared in only six, with three of those being complete matches.
Muñoz has been dealing with a calf injury leading up to the tournament and encountered further setbacks due to another muscular injury. He is training on the field but has not yet rejoined his teammates.
“We’re getting a bit short on specialist wingers,” De la Fuente reflected. “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.”
