Barcelona right winger Lamine Yamal has been one of the biggest breakout stars in world football this season, following in the footsteps of a handful of world-class youngsters in Catalunya who have taken LaLiga by storm over the last several years.
Yamal already looks like the future face of Barcelona, with PSG reportedly keen on signing the teenager to a 200 million euro offer, presumably to pair with another former Barca star in Ousmane Dembele as future Real Madrid man Kylian Mbappe’s replacement.
Instead, Barcelona are standing firm on keeping Yamal, which is music to the ears of Culers. Although many players are for sale at the Camp Nou, the likes of Yamal are too priceless to ever part ways with and should be building blocks of the team for the next decade to come.
Pedri stands alongside Yamal as one of those centerpiece players, but Barcelona have to worry about his health. The midfielder has missed significant chunks of the current season and the previous one.
In 2021, Pedri was a standout at the European Championships and then became a crucial starter for Barcelona, not receiving much rest in a physically demanding position. The toll can add quickly to young players, and it has seemingly happened to Pedri.
Barcelona need to make sure the same thing does not happen with Yamal. Yes, he needs games, but with Barcelona out of the 2023/24 LaLiga title race and eliminated from the Champions League, they can afford to give Yamal rest.
That doesn’t mean shutting Yamal down. He still needs to play. But it means letting Raphinha and Joao Felix get starts on the right side, relieving Yamal of the need to play 90 minutes every week.
Real Madrid kept a close eye on managing Vinicius Junior’s workload, especially in his youngest years, as they saw how fragile explosive wingers can be. Vinicius Jr. suffered a serious injury in his debut 2018/19 season.
Barcelona already made the mistake of being a little too aggressive with the minutes they gave Pedri, and now he is susceptible to recurring soft-tissue injuries.
As a winger, the 16-year-old Yamal could be even more prone to injuries. The last thing Barcelona need is another Pedri or even Ansu Fati situation on their hands where an elite, future building block is out of commission and even has his long-term prospects hampered because his rest was not managed appropriately.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.