Lamine Yamal is available to return for Barcelona against Girona on Saturday after missing October’s international fixtures with a recurring groin injury.
Yamal, 18, returned to training on Monday and the club confirmed on Saturday he had been medically cleared to play.
Fermin Lopez was also given the all clear after missing Barcelona’s last four matches with a muscular problem and both players have been included in the squad for the weekend’s La Liga fixture.
The pair’s return comes ahead of Barcelona playing Real Madrid in the season’s first Clasico on October 26.
Yamal missed Barcelona’s La Liga victories over Valencia, Getafe and Real Oviedo and their win over Newcastle United in the Champions League after struggling with the injury on international duty with Spain in September.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick accused Spain of “not taking care” of Yamal, saying he had felt discomfort heading into the international break, and played for his national team on painkillers. Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente insisted “zero risks” had been taken over Yamal’s fitness.
Yamal returned for the 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on September 28, coming on as a substitute and providing an assist, and played the full game in Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain three days later.
However, Barcelona said on October 3 that the groin issue had returned and that he would miss two to three weeks. He was absent for the team’s 4-1 defeat against Sevilla and withdrew from the Spain squad for October’s international break.
Yamal has featured five times in all competitions for Barcelona this season, recording two goals and four assists. Last month, he finished second in Ballon d’Or voting behind Ousmane Dembele and won the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player in the world, for the second consecutive year.
The Barcelona squad has sustained a number of injuries this season, with Robert Lewandowski, Gavi, Raphinha, Joan Garcia, Dani Olmo and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen all sidelined.
(Photo: Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)
