Barca´s Yamal vows to come back even better after season-ending injury

Lamine Yamal has vowed to be even better for Barcelona next season after he was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a hamstring injury.

Yamal sustained the issue during Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Celta Vigo on Wednesday, moments after opening the scoring at Camp Nou for Hansi Flick’s side.

The 18-year-old is expected to return to fitness in time for Spain’s World Cup campaign this summer, but will miss the remainder of the Blaugrana’s LaLiga run-in.

Yamal has netted 16 top-flight goals this season, with only David Villa in 2010-11 (18) scoring more for Barcelona in a single season in the competition in the 21st century among all of their Spanish players.

He has also completed more dribbles (133) than any other player in the division this term, while only Real Betis’ Pablo Fornals (73) has created more chances than Yamal’s 72.

“This injury is keeping me off the pitch just when I wanted to be there the most, and it hurts more than I can put into words,” Yamal said in a post on Instagram.

“It hurts not to be able to fight alongside my team-mates, not to be able to help when the team needs me. But I believe in them and I know they’ll give their all in every match.

“I’ll be there, even if it’s from the sidelines, supporting, cheering and pushing them on, just like one of the boys.

“This isn’t the end, it’s just a break. I’ll come back stronger, more eager than ever, and next season will be better.”

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Barcelona have six games remaining in their season, all of which come in LaLiga, as they look on course to retain their top-flight crown over Clasico rivals Real Madrid.

After their win over Celta, Flick’s men boast a nine-point advantage at the summit, though they do have to play Los Blancos in a mouth-watering clash on May 10.

However, the Opta supercomputer has assigned them an overwhelming probability of being crowned champions, with their chances rated at 97.7%.

Spain’s World Cup campaign starts on June 15 against Cape Verde, while they will also face Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in the group stage.