Spain coach, Luis de la Fuente has explained why he substituted winger Lamine Yamal during his side’s UEFA Nations League final defeat to Portugal on Sunday.
De la Fuente revealed that he substituted the Barcelona youngster because he was ‘tired’ as he has been playing since Thursday.
According to the 63-year-old, he needed to put some ‘energy’ into the Spain team against Portugal.
Recall that that Yeremy Pino replaced Yamal in extra-time at the Allianz Arena as the match eventually ended in a 2-2 draw.
De la Fuente’s side lost 5-3 via penalty shootout after Galatasaray striker Alvaro Morata missed his penalty kick.
“We wanted to give the game a bit more energy,” De la Fuente told journalists at his post-match when asked why he substituted Yamal.
“The introduction of Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena gave us that energy, that control of the game that we had lost, as well as our finishing and shooting.
“Yamal is tired because he has been competing since Thursday, there has been little rest. He has had a very difficult year. He’s 17 years old and we’ve to behave accordingly.”
