Kate Cross questions future after losing England contract

Kate Cross has lost her England contract, capping a difficult month in which she also learned she had been overlooked for the World Cup.Cross revealed that England Women’s head coach Charlotte Edwards and director of cricket Jonathan Finch had told her during a post-season appraisal in August that her central contract wouldn’t be renewed, after playing 102 matches for her country across formats in an international career spanning nearly 12 years.”I had my appraisal with Lot and Finchy, our director of cricket, and they just told me that I’m not going to get my England contract renewed next year,” Cross said in a pre-recorded segment for the latest episode of , the podcast that she co-hosts with best friend and former team-mate Alex Hartley. “So as of October this year, 2025, I will not be a professional cricketer for England anymore.””I was dreading saying that, I feel sick,” Cross added in the episode released on Tuesday.Cross had her appraisal in early August, on the eve of the Hundred, in which she was ultimately part of the Northern Superchargers side that won the title, and learned of her World Cup omission partway through the tournament. She also revealed that Edwards had approached her after the Hundred to be a reserve for the World Cup.”I had a phonecall with Lottie at the end of the Hundred where she was like: ‘Look if you’re willing, can you keep training through October? Because if an injury goes down to one of the seamers, we are going to need you.’ That’s the bit I’m finding tough, because the end point isn’t now for me,” Cross said. “I’m back at Old Trafford next week bowling. It’s not been great. But I also have to think if an injury does go down, I have to go and be ready to play for England in a World Cup.”Cross claimed two wickets in the Hundred final to help power Northern Superchargers to the title•Julian Finney/Getty Images

With England Women’s central contracts due to be announced in December, Cross said she had a bad feeling about her future at the end of England’s home ODI series with India, which the hosts lost 2-1 in late July.”I started the India series opening the bowling for England as vice-captain, and I finished that series not even making the 13 that was named the night before, for the squad to play in that last ODI,” Cross said. “Lottie said to me, in a chat the day before the game, that it was a must-win game and I’m not part of the 13. As a cricketer who’s always prided myself on being a reliable bowler for your captain, who would hopefully stand up in big moments and do what I’ve done for a while for England, that was pretty tough to hear. I felt like a lot of trust had been lost quite quickly.”I’m not daft, I’m old enough and wise enough, and been around the block plenty of times to know that something’s happened there that might mean my future is maybe in a little bit of jeopardy.”When I came out of that India series, I felt a little bit lost and I didn’t feel like Lottie trusted me that much, having started the series where I did. I even said to Lottie, ‘I’m not daft, I know I didn’t bowl great (in the first ODI) at Southampton’. I didn’t feel like it was a droppable offence, but I know that wasn’t me at my best.”Cross wondered whether the back injury that she sustained in South Africa last year meant she had “lost a little bit of something”. Though she remained with the squad for England’s subsequent Ashes campaign in Australia, she didn’t play a match as England were whitewashed by seven matches to none.”That’s the stuff that you come to terms with, I guess, but I don’t quite feel like that’s the case,” she said. “I feel like I still have a lot to give the team and I know everyone that gets pushed out will say that, they’ll say that they always still felt like they’ve got stuff to give.Related

  • Cross, Sutherland level up as Northern Superchargers clinch Women's Hundred title

  • Lewis century secures cup double for Lancashire women

  • Kate Cross struggling to get her head around 'savage' World Cup snub

  • Kate Cross in Ashes fitness race after revealing disc bulge issue

“I’m so aware that my international career had to come to an end at some point, and it was going to be unlikely that I’d get to do it on my terms, because not many people get the privilege of finishing it on their terms. So I always knew that this would be probably how it was done, that I wouldn’t be ready for it.”But I think it’s just the speed of it. I honestly think in a couple of months’ time, a couple of years’ time, I might look back and be really pleased at how quickly it all happened, so I’ve not had to do that year of getting phased out and doing drinks and stuff like that. But I’m also sat here questioning whether I want to play cricket again.”With all this going on, Cross was also part of the Lancashire side which won the inaugural Metro Bank One Day Cup Women’s title on Sunday. She was unsure whether she would seek out a domestic contract for next year and said she would spend the winter away from the game deciding what she wanted to do.”Lottie has, to be fair to her, kept reaching out saying, ‘can we have a chat?’ and I’m like, there’s no point for me yet because I don’t know what to say,” Cross said. “I don’t have anything to say to you that’s going to make me feel better.”The chat might make her feel better, but I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. That almost feels like something that might happen next year or in two years’ time, or maybe never.”

Fred avalia início e projeta decisão no sub-17 do Fortaleza

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Em sua primeira experiência como técnico, o ex-atacante Fred está comandando o sub-17 do Fortaleza. O Leão enfrentará o Vila Nova nesta quarta-feira (10), às 10h (de Brasília), valendo pelas quartas de final da Supercopa Capital da categoria.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFortalezaImprensa argentina reage ao rebaixamento do Fortaleza de PalermoFortaleza08/12/2025FortalezaApós cirurgia, Brítez lamenta rebaixamento do FortalezaFortaleza09/12/2025FortalezaRebaixamento interrompe marca histórica do Fortaleza na Série AFortaleza09/12/2025

➡️ Tudo sobre o Leão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Fortaleza

O treinador falou a respeito do início de trajetória no Leão e das expectativas para o confronto decisivo. Nas oitavas, a equipe eliminou o Athletico-PR com uma vitória por 2 a 0.

— Tem sido dias intensos de muito trabalho. Jogamos a cada dois dias e, quando não temos jogo, procuramos trabalhar com os meninos, seja em treino, recuperação ou analisando em vídeo, o que precisamos melhorar para a próxima partida. Continuamos invictos, vencendo grandes equipes e firmes na busca do nosso objetivo – relatou.

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➡️ Após cirurgia, Brítez lamenta rebaixamento do Fortaleza

— É uma experiência nova. Tenho uma visão das categorias de base como jogador e agora estou vivenciando o mesmo processo como treinador. São jovens atletas que buscam alcançar o sonho de chegarem ao profissional e temos que ter esse olhar com atenção para todos – disse o ex-atacante.

— Vamos enfrentar a equipe do Vila Nova nas quartas de final, uma equipe que vencemos na primeira fase mas que agora é outro campeonato. Um jogo de quartas de final, decidido em 90 minutos, onde o detalhe dará a vaga para o time melhor preparado. Esperamos fazer uma grande partida e chegar entre os quatro melhores desta competição – finalizou.

continua após a publicidadeQueda interrompe marca histórica do Fortaleza

Com o rebaixamento, uma marca histórica do Fortaleza na Série A foi interrompida. Isso porque, como estava no Brasileirão desde 2019, o Tricolor permaneceu na elite por sete temporadas consecutivas. Esse é o recorde de uma equipe nordestina desde 2003, quando teve início o formato de pontos corridos.

➡️ Rebaixamento interrompe marca histórica do Fortaleza na Série A

O Leão ficou no G4 em duas oportunidades ao longo dessas sete edições. Além de frequentar a Copa Libertadores, as campanhas renderam idas à Copa Sul-Americana.

Tudo sobre

FortalezaFutebol Nacional

MLB World Can't Believe How the Phillies' Season Ended vs. Dodgers

There aren't many worse ways to end a season than what happened at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.

Tied 1-1 in the 11th inning with two outs and the bases loaded, Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering did his job. He got Andy Pages to tap a soft grounder back to the mound for what should have been an easy third out.

Well, it wasn't. Kerkering panicked and couldn't decide if he was going to throw the ball to first base or to home plate for the force out. At the last possible moment, he awkwardly fired an errant throw past catcher JT Realmuto, and base runner Hyeseong Kim—who initially missed the bag—tapped home plate for a walk-off 2-1 win.

The Dodgers are heading to the NLCS, and the Phillies are packing their bags for vacation—all because of one errant throw.

According to Jayson Stark, the Phillies' series loss to the Dodgers in four games is the first postseason series in MLB history to end on a walk-off error.

The MLB world could not believe their eyes:

Just a brutal way to end a season, especially for a championship-contending team like the Phillies.

The Dodgers will face the winner of the NLDS series between the Brewers and Cubs in the NLCS.

Yankees Bullpen Reaches Ugly Franchise Low After Another Implosion vs. Tigers

The Yankees bullpen sunk to a historic new franchise low in an 11–1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.

New York's 'pen surrendered nine earned runs for the second consecutive game, the first time that's occurred in Yankees franchise history, according to Katie Sharp.

Consider this: So poor was the Yankees bullpen on Wednesday night that each of the four relief pitchers Yankees manager Aaron Boone sent to the mound surrendered an earned run—except for outfielder Austin Slater, who entered the game in the ninth inning and slow-tossed 36-mph eephus-esque meatballs as New York waved the white flag.

Wednesday's game eerily resembled Tuesday's loss for the Bronx Bombers, who played Detroit to a 2–2 tie through six innings before the bullpen came undone in a nine-run implosion in the seventh inning.

But as poor as the results have been in the two-game postseason litmus test against the Tigers thus far, Boone, ever the optimist, believes the results are a blip on the radar rather than a concerning trend.

"Track record. Stuff. Who they are," Boone said when asked what gives him confidence the bullpen can turn things around. "Obviously, we got to get a couple guys on track so we can create that depth that we can have down there. A bullpen ERA in short samples like that can be a little misleading, like when you have a handful of games where it really gets away and it gets blown up.

"I feel like through this stretch of games, where over the last month we started winning, we've closed out a lot of good games, too, with guys capable of shutting people down. This is what we have. I've had a lot of confidence in their ability and their stuff, but we got to bring it together. We haven't done that consistently enough yet. Can we do it? That's what we're going to find out. That's what we're going to need to do if we're going to make a big run at this."

The Yankees play one more game against Detroit on Thursday before traveling to Boston for a three-game series against the Red Sox beginning on Friday.

Mets Make Juan Soto Lineup Decision Day After Injury Scare

After leaving Tuesday's game early, Juan Soto will be held out of the New York Mets' lineup for Wednesday's matchup against the San Diego Padres. On Tuesday, Soto fouled a pitch off his foot in the third inning and was immediately in visible pain. He finished his at-bat, but was limping and would be replaced at right field in the bottom half of the inning.

X-rays on Soto's injury came back negative. He was diagnosed with a left foot contusion, and is expected to be playing for the Mets again in the coming days, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Soto will not play Wednesday, and the Mets are off Thursday, meaning that he could at the earliest return for Friday's game versus the San Francisco Giants.

"I think it’s going to be good,” said Soto, via DiComo. “We’ve just got to get the swelling down. Whenever the swelling is down, I think we’re going to be fine.”

With Soto out, Jeff McNeil will play right field for the Mets in their final game of the series at Petco Park. The Mets are looking for their first win of the series, and to keep their narrow lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.

Perry, Schutt inspire Birmingham Phoenix in low-scoring grind

Manchester Originals miss chance to close gap on table-toppers as they slump to 16-run loss

ECB Media24-Aug-2025Manchester Originals missed the chance to take a big leap towards qualifying for The Hundred Eliminator next Saturday after falling to a 16-run defeat to lowly Birmingham Phoenix at Emirates Old Trafford and slipping out of the top three.The Originals, who have never progressed beyond the group phase of the women’s competition, looked strong favourites after restricting the visitors to 111 for 3 but Aussie seamer Megan Schutt (3 for 14) spearheaded an inspired performance with the ball after Ellyse Perry’s second successive half-century and a sparky knock from Sterre Kalis had given them something to defend.Both Originals openers were dismissed for ducks, Kathyrn Bryce run out by Emma Lamb and Beth Mooney falling to a superb running catch by Marie Kelly off Schutt, before Em Arlott snared Alice Monaghan to leave the hosts 14 for 3.That became 14 for 4 two balls later when 19-year-old off-spinner Phoebe Brett had Amelia Kerr caught at mid-on by Arlott. Deandra Dottin and Seren Smale steadied the ship somewhat before Hannah Baker snared the former, caught at long-off as she tried to up the ante.Smale dug deep for her 34-ball 29, eventually caught at short fine-leg by Brett to give Schutt her third wicket, and Lauren Filer struck three boundaries in her unbeaten 19, but the Originals were eventually dismissed for 95 from the final ball of their innings.Earlier, Phoenix skipper Perry had chosen to bat after winning the toss but her team were soon in trouble, Georgia Voll falling for a four-ball duck after picking out Monaghan at deep square-leg off Mahika Gaur.The Originals’ high-class bowling attack was relentless, the visitors crawling to 15 in 24 balls when Lamb offered a simple chance to Dottin off Sophie Ecclestone before Amy Jones succumbed to Dottin to leave the score 17 for 3.Perry (55 not out from 48) and Kalis mounted a rescue operation, the Aussie legend reaching her half-century by dispatching Bryce for six over mid-wicket and Kalis unbeaten on 43 from 39 when the innings concluded on 111 for 3.It didn’t look like being enough against an Originals side which had won their three previous matches but Phoenix prevailed to move up to seventh in the table and push their opponents down to fourth, behind London Spirit on net run rate.The Originals now face a crucial final group match against Northern Superchargers on Tuesday, with the Spirit visiting Oval Invincibles tomorrow.Kalis, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “It was obviously a tough start; the pitch was doing quite a bit. When I got in, it was a tough situation because we’d lost some early wickets. But Perry and I rebuilt, and I thought it was a good score on that pitch. It was definitely the kind of surface where, once you got in, it became a bit easier to score.”In the end, it was a brilliant win. We had to play really good cricket to defend a low-ish total, and we knew early wickets were going to be key and we got them. Obviously it’s been a bit of a tough campaign for us but what we can do now is play our best cricket and today, we showed what kind of team we are. It was a brilliant effort.”

Maxed out? Glenn Maxwell needs to 'wake up' before it's too late

He’s bowling better than he is batting at the moment. Can he change that against his former team?

Shashank Kishore17-Apr-20255:15

What has gone wrong for Maxwell?

Nearly a year ago, Glenn Maxwell took a mid-season break during a lean run for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), having scored just 32 runs in six innings at an average of 5.33. He need time to refresh and reboot.Maxwell had entered IPL 2024 in red-hot form, with 552 runs at 42.46 and a 185.85 strike rate in his previous 17 T20s. He also had a strong BBL season – 325 runs in nine innings at a 186.78 strike rate.A year on in IPL 2025, things are eerily similar. He started the season for Punjab Kings (PBKS) with a golden duck against Gujarat Titans when he tried to reverse-sweep R Sai Kishore in Ahmedabad.Related

  • RCB return home aiming to avoid a hat-trick of defeats

Despite a strong lead-up, Maxwell averages just 8.20 after five innings in this IPL.Maxwell’s struggles have been worsened by spin – four of his five dismissals have come against it. It’s a stark contrast to his early RCB days, when he built his reputation as a spin-hitter. In RCB’s run to the playoffs in 2021, Maxwell averaged 52.8 and struck at nearly 155. Since last year, his average against spin has plummeted to 4.87.”It’s a hard one, to decipher how Maxwell operates, his run of consistency or otherwise,” former RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar said on ESPNcricinfo T20 Time Out. “Those three years at RCB, he had a couple of batters around him who took the attention away from him.”There was Virat [Kohli], Faf du Plessis – he wasn’t really the main guy the team looked up to for miracles. He was expected to do those impactful performances, and he was delivering quite well. Here in a new role [at PBKS], he’s batting slightly lower down the order as well, for me they’re still looking at him as a primary overseas batter, which wasn’t the case with RCB.”

“I’m a little critical, but there are times where as a player you need to wake up.”Pujara on Maxwell

Maxwell’s spin woes appear India-specific, with a lower aggressive shot percentage than elsewhere. Since IPL 2024, he’s fallen six times to spin off just 13 attacking shots – nearly a dismissal every two balls, something RCB would have taken note of when they face him on Friday.They will have three spinners – Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, and Suyash Sharma – to use as match-ups against Maxwell. While Livingstone hasn’t bowled to Maxwell in the IPL, Krunal has dismissed him three times, with Maxwell striking at just 120.”For the first two-three games, we saw a different Maxwell, he was trying to take the bowling on from ball one,” Bangar said. “In the last two innings, he was happy to spend some time in the middle. Till the time he got out to Varun [Chakravathy’s] googly [in the previous game against KKR], he was giving himself time, played good cricketing shots.”He played a back foot drive past point. If he’d started with this approach, the pressure wouldn’t have been so much. Now it’s this way or that. I don’t think Punjab will be patient to stick with him if they were to drop a couple of games, by which time the season would be on the line.”Glenn Maxwell has not been able to find his form in IPL 2025•Punjab KingsSo far, PBKS have backed Maxwell, benching Marcus Stoinis in their previous game to bring in Josh Inglis. Maxwell has contributed with the ball, taking four wickets at an economy of 8.46 in six innings, and often bowling in the powerplay. But how long a rope can PBKS give him because of his bowling?Numbers between 2021 and 2023 – among his most formidable years in the IPL – make a case for moving him up to No. 4, where he scored 908 runs at a 157.36 strike rate. But that would mean demoting the in-form Nehal Wadhera.Cheteshwar Pujara, Maxwell’s team-mate at Punjab in 2014, called his approach “casual,” attributing his poor form to over-attacking. “The way he bats hasn’t changed much,” Pujara said. “He hasn’t changed the way he has approached the IPL. There have been times where he’s been a little casual. He’s the same what he was maybe eight-ten years ago. I’m a little critical, but there are times where as a player you need to wake up.”You need to realise you’re getting an opportunity to play and be part of a franchise where things are at stake. And there are times a player can get casual, they’re not worried about what’s happening. I’m sure he wants to perform but when you’re not performing there’s a fine line of being causal and just trying to pull up your socks and trying to perform. He has to find that balance, if there was any other player he would’ve been out of the XI, but because he’s Maxwell he’s getting that opportunity.”Maxwell now returns to a venue where he strikes at 171 across 18 IPL innings, including three fifties. The Chinnaswamy Stadium is also the scene of his unbeaten 113 off 55 balls for Australia in a T20I in 2019.With his form under scrutiny, Friday night might just be Maxwell’s chance to flip the script this season. Will PBKS give him that opportunity?

تقارير: سلوت يحسم موقف محمد صلاح من مباراة ليفربول وإنتر

كشفت تقارير إعلامية اليوم الإثنين، عن وجود تطورات جديدة بشأن وضع محمد صلاح، نجم نادي ليفربول، والذي يعيش أوقاتًا عصيبة مع الريدز هذا الموسم.

محمد صلاح خرج عن صمته يوم السبت الماضي عقب نهاية مباراة ليفربول وليدز يونايتد بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وهاجم مدرب الريدز، آرني سلوت، موضحًا أن العلاقة قد انتهت تمامًا معه.

وتواجد محمد صلاح على دكة بدلاء ليفربول خلال مباراة ليدز يونايتد، إلى جانب مباراة سندرلاند ووست هام يونايتد بشكل متتالي، مما أشعل غضب الدولي المصري.

واتهم محمد صلاح إدارة ليفربول بعدم تنفيذ الوعود المقدمة له، في حين ذكر ابن الـ33 عامًا أن هناك شخصاً ما لا يريده أن يستمر مع النادي الإنجليزي.

اقرأ أيضًا .. سكاي سبورتس تكشف تطورات جديدة بشأن مصير مشاركة محمد صلاح أمام إنتر وفي سياق متصل، ذكر فابريس هوكينز، الصحفي الشهير، أن محمد صلاح لن يشارك في مباراة ليفربول أمام إنتر ميلان يوم غدًا الثلاثاء في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وأشار هوكينز عبر حسابه الرسمي في تويتر، إلى أن محمد صلاح سوف يتم استبعاده من قائمة ليفربول التي سوف تصل إلى إيطاليا اليوم الإثنين، من أجل مواجهة إنتر ميلان على ملعب جويزبي مياتزا، وذلك بقرار من سلوت.

ومن المحتمل أن يقوم ليفربول بعرض محمد صلاح للبيع خلال فترة الميركاتو الشتوي المقبل، وسط اهتمام أندية الدوري السعودي والدوري الأمريكي كذلك بالتعاقد معه.

Don Mattingly Seen Sharing Heartbreaking Moment With Blue Jays Star After Game 7 Loss

The Blue Jays were so close to winning their first World Series title since 1993 on Saturday night but then the Dodgers tied Game 7 in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run by Miguel Rojas and won it in the 11th inning after a home run by Will Smith and some more clutch pitching by Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

It was a devastating loss for the everyone involved with the franchise and all of the fans at Rogers Centre who were so close to having one heck of a celebration, only to see it all fall away in stunning fashion.

It must have been especially rough for Don Mattingly, who finally made it to the World Series for the first time in his legendary career. The former Yankees great has served as the Blue Jays bench coach since 2022 and he was just three outs away from earning a championship ring, only to have it ripped away from a franchise he once managed.

Moments after the final out Mattingly was seen having a heartbreaking moment as he sat in the Toronto dugout and watched the Dodgers celebrate their second straight title. Blue Jays star Bo Bichette, who had a huge three-run homer in Game 7, was seen giving Mattingly a hug before the two headed to the clubhouse.

Here's that sad exchange:

Brutal.

Mattingly never made it to the World Series as a player and fell just short a few times during his stint as the manager of the Dodgers. It would have been pretty cool to see him celebrate finally earning a ring but that sadly didn't happen as the Blue Jays lost both Game 6 and 7 at home to the Dodgers.

Fans had some emotional reactions to that moment between Mattingly and Bichette.

'Special nights are coming' – Lamine Yamal makes promise to Barcelona fans ahead of Camp Nou return

Lamine Yamal believes that "special nights" are coming ahead of Barcelona's long-awaited return to Camp Nou. The teenager has become a Blaugrana sensation in recent years and he has done that while barely playing at the Catalan outfit's iconic stadium. But the countdown to being back at their hallowed home ground has very much begun, and the Spaniard is clearly very excited.

Yamal excited for Camp Nou return

In May 2023, Barcelona said goodbye to Camp Nou as the stadium began a huge redevelopment initiative. After many delays and some controversies involving workers, the giant ground is preparing for a staggered reopening later this month. The defending La Liga champions have been given the light by the local council to host around 23,000 fans when competitive games return to this venue, which has already seen 23,000 supporters watch an open training session earlier this month. Incidentally, Yamal has played just a handful of times at Camp Nou after making his first-team Barca debut in April 2023. Now, the 18-year-old has taken to social media to express his delight about playing at this famous stadium.

In an Instagram story, he wrote: "Special nights are coming," before zooming in on Camp Nou with his phone camera.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWhen will Barcelona play at Camp Nou again?

For much of the past two years, while the Camp Nou works have gone on, Barcelona have played at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which holds upwards of 50,000 fans. Reports suggest that Barca are waiting for a 1B license to be granted to them, which will allow them to open up another stand and host 45,401 supporters at Camp Nou. Now, Barcelona executive Joan Sentelles says he is hopeful they can play at their iconic home, with its reduced capacity of under 30,000, against Athletic Club on November 22 in La Liga.

He told Esport3: "Our goal is to have it ready in time for the match against Athletic Club. As soon as we obtain the 1B license, we’ll open the Lateral Stand, which will already give us a capacity similar to the Olympic Stadium. At that point, it wouldn’t make sense to continue playing there – all our matches will be here."

Sentelles added that they hope to nearly triple their current limit by the end of 2025.

"The goal is to have the entire stadium open to 62,000 spectators before the end of the year," he revealed.

Yamal an injury concern

While it will be an emotional return to Camp Nou for Barcelona players and fans alike, there is no guarantee that Yamal will line up for this upcoming fixture. The youngster has been suffering with a groin problem known as pubalgia, something he has played through for club and country for a while now. There has been a war of words between Barca boss Hansi Flick and Spain manager Luis de la Fuente over Yamal's playing time, with the former concerned about him being overplayed. Moreover, in the past week, the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) expressed its "surprise and dismay" at seeing Yamal undergo an "invasive procedure" that led to his withdrawal from the latest La Roja squad. 

After he was released from the national squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey, the RFEF said: "The Medical Services of the RFEF wish to express their surprise and discomfort after learning at 13:47 on Monday, November 10, the day of the start of the official training camp with the national team, that player Lamine Yamal had undergone an invasive radiofrequency procedure for the treatment of his pubic discomfort that same morning. This procedure was carried out without prior communication to the medical staff of the National Team, with knowledge of the details only through a report received at 22:40 last night, which indicated the medical recommendation of rest for 7-10 days. Given this situation, and prioritising at all times the health, safety and well-being of the player, the Royal Spanish Football Federation has made the decision to release the athlete from the current call-up. We are confident that he will recover well and wish him a speedy and full recovery."

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(C)GettyImagesWhat comes next for Yamal and Barcelona?

Meanwhile, De la Fuente said Yamal was "very sad" to not take part in these games for his country.

"Lamine is sad. He’s a player deeply committed to the national team and very well-liked," he said. "He left very sad; he was looking forward to playing these matches. He wants to have a great season with his club, and he also has the Finalissima and the World Cup etched in his memory. He’s the one who suffers the most. He always wants to come. He left sad and hurt. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has bad intentions. I spoke with him. When we received the report last night, we let him rest. We went to his room and I spoke with him. I told him it was the first news he'd heard from the national team; I don't know if he had any information about Barcelona. He was incredibly sad and hurt. He was fine when he arrived. We didn't know anything until last night."

When the international break ends, Barcelona take on Athletic Club, Chelsea, and Alaves in the space of a week to round off the month. It is hoped that Yamal will feature in those encounters despite his ongoing pubalgia issues.

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