Barcelona 'concerned' about wonderkid Lamine Yamal's social circles with 16-year-old recently dropping to bench

The young winger enjoyed just seven minutes of football under Xavi last term, with his real break-out season being 2023-24. And Yamal made an impressive start to life under the Barcelona boss, assisting twice in just his third outing. These performances earned him a maiden call-up to the Spain national team, where he carried over his fine form with two goals in three matches for La Roja.

However, his early career has stagnated somewhat since then. The youngster has started just three matches in the past two months under Xavi, and Spanish outlet Bar Canalates reports there is concern within the club that Yamal may be involved in the wrong social circles. It is thought that the 16-year-old could be hanging around with characters not positive for his development, causing an unwanted distraction on his path to potential superstardom.

Yamal wasn't eligible for Barca's last Copa del Rey outing due to a suspension carried over from the youth version of the tournament, and Catalan journalist Joan Fontes reveals another disciplinary incident during Spain U-17 duty, which saw him dropped at the time.

That said, Fontes continues that this was a standalone incident and that he feels the youngster is of good character. Yamal himself will be rested and raring for action in time for Barca's next match against Osasuna in the Supercopa de Espana on Thursday.