Yahoo Sports “He’ll need to do more than he has until now”: Adrien Rabiot aims dig at Lamine Yamal
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot (29) has issued a warning to Spain’s young sensation Lamine Yamal (16), telling the winger that he will need to up his game in order to make his mark on Tuesday’s Euro 2024 semi-final.
Precocious teenager Yamal has enjoyed a fine tournament so far, starring in a vibrant, youthful and balanced Spain set up and given licence to express himself on the right wing by coach Luis de La Fuente. Central to La Roja‘s attacking play along with Nico Williams on the opposite flank, the Barcelona youngster has yet to find the scoresheet but has registered three assists over Spain’s five games to date.
Rabiot, who is set to return to Les Bleus’ starting XI following suspension, has tempered expectations around the youngster, warning him that the semi-finals of a major European competition are another level to what he has experienced so far:
“We’ve seen that he’s a player who can handle the pressure. He has alot of quality. However, it’s always difficult to handle a semi-final in a tournament like this. It’s down to us to put the pressure on him, to not let him be comfortable and to show him that in order to play the final of a Euro, he’ll need to show much more than he has until now. “
The midfielder’s comments have been taken as a provocation in the Catalan press, with Mundo Deportivo evoking the comments in a headline.
