Both players could get ruled out of the tournament, which will compound the team’s problems on the wings
Spain have been far from the level expected at this World Cup. A draw against Cape Verde was followed by victory against Saudi Arabia but then there were also lingering questions from their performance against Uruguay on Friday.
Injuries have in a way played a part in that, with wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams both arriving at the tournament with injury concerns. Both had to start on the bench in the first game against Cape Verde.
Now those same fitness concerns loom like a dark shadow as they wait to learn the extent of injuries to Yeremy Pino and Williams. Both forwards were hurt during the rather physical game against Uruguay and there are now fears they could miss the rest of the tournament.
The pair came on as second-half substitutes in Guadalajara but were forced to finish the match carrying injuries. Pino suffered a collarbone problem after replacing Alex Baena, while Williams picked up a groin injury after coming on for Yamal.
“Pino can miss the rest of the World Cup,” Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said after the match. “It is a collarbone injury. We will do more scans tomorrow.
“He was suffering a lot, it was heroic that he helped us until the end of the game.”
Both players are due to undergo further scans on Saturday and Spain’s medical staff are hoping the injuries are not as serious as first feared. But if both players are ruled out for the rest of the competition, it would be a serious blow.
Spain would not be able to bring in replacements from outside the squad because Fifa’s deadline for squad changes is 24 hours before each team’s opening match.
Pino and Williams are also highly important players. They are two of Spain’s main options to provide width on the wings, and that is one area where Spain have generally struggled, often playing too much in central areas and making it easy to block them out. The game against Cape Verde was a good example.
In the squad, there are few players who can readily replace Williams. Victor Munoz is talented but is also struggling with fitness and has yet to play at all in the tournament.
The group stage was difficult enough for De la Fuente’s side but there will be tougher tests to come in the knockouts. Spain will confirm the players’ status once the scan results are available on Saturday but they will be hoping it is favourable enough.
