Barcelona will be a little concerned about Lamine Yamal's latest comments, with the young attacker having already played a small role at the World Cup.
Yamal came off the bench during Spain's frustrating opening game draw with Cape Verde as he continues his recovery from injury.
Luis de la Fuente is being careful with the youngster, who he hopes will go on to be a key player again in this competition, as he was during Euro 2024. Barca, meanwhile, will be praying the winger returns in one piece, and there are already concerns over the 18-year-old playing too much too soon, as may have been the case with Pedri.
Yamal speaks on his fitness
Speaking in Spain's pre-match press conference ahead of a crucial clash with Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Yamal said: "I feel really good. I'm excited above all, I've been off the field for a long time. I'm looking forward to Sunday. I feel good physically, I'm ready for whatever the boss wants. I know that doesn't mean I'm going to play, but I'm ready.
"It's very early, it's unnecessary [to play 90 minutes], I have a process of adaptation, it isn't the moment to play a full game but I'll play the minutes the boss wants."
Barcelona fitness concerns
We heard plenty before the World Cup about concerns over whether Yamal could play full games at the World Cup, and there were even reports that Barca requested that he only played so much.
That is beyond the scope of Barca's powers, given the national team has exclusive say in how much they use any given player under their control during an international period.
De La Fuente will do with Yamal what he pleases, but therein lies the concern for Barca fans. With La Roja having failed to win their first game, there is great concern that De La Fuente will lean on Yamal too soon to pick up much-needed points during this group phase.
The ideal scenario for Barca is that Spain get through the groups without having to overuse Yamal, and they can lean on him more when he returns to full fitness in the knockout stages.
Anything more than a cameo appearance for Yamal against Saudi Arabia, similar to the one he managed against Cape Verde, and Blaugrana fans are likely to be left unhappy this weekend.
Spain also have a group stage clash with Uruguay to navigate before - they hope - the knockout stages kick off.
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