Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente has explained why Lamine Yamal was taken off in the UEFA Nations League final with Portugal.
Yamal was substituted at half-time of extra time and was even spotted expressing his frustration in a video published by Spanish outlet MARCA.
Spain went on to lose the game 5-3 on penalties after 90 minutes finished 2-2.
It was a game Yamal struggled to impose himself as he was well man-marked by Nuno Mendes.
After the match, De la Fuente opened up about why he took the 17-year-old off.
“We wanted to give the game a bit more energy,” said De la Fuente.
“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.”
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He added: “He is tired because he has been competing since Thursday, [and] there has been little rest. He has had a very difficult year.
“He is 17 years old and we have to behave accordingly.
“We understood that it was time to replace him to give another player the opportunity to come in, so that he brings a little more energy.”
