By Tom McGarry
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has confirmed star man Lamine Yamal will be fit for Sunday's World Cup final against Argentina following concerns regarding the influential winger's fitness.
Yamal ready to make final impact
Fears surrounding Yamal's availability were raised after he was on the receiving end of some robust challenges in Tuesday's semi-final victory over France and subsequently sat out training earlier this week.
De la Fuente has now moved to play down such concerns by insisting that Yamal, who has since returned to training, took a heavy knock but will be ready for Sunday's showpiece game.
"He's fine, there are no problems with him," De la Fuente told reporters. "He took a heavy knock, but he coped with the match perfectly.
"We gave him a rest yesterday; today he's been training with his teammates as normal."
Yamal came into the World Cup struggling with a hamstring injury and did not start Spain's first match against Cape Verde as a result.
He has been involved from the off in La Roja's six subsequent games, although his only goal involvement came in the group-stage win over Saudi Arabia.
The 19-year-old is not the only player Spain have been managing over recent days, with full-back Pedro Porro, who scored in the semi-final win over France, dealing with muscle soreness, but again there are no real concerns regarding his availability for Sunday.
Laporte questions Argentina's approach
Spain defender Aymeric Laporte has questioned Argentina's approach at the World Cup and called on officials to keep a handle on the situation.
The defending champions gave away 15 fouls in their semi-final victory over England, with Enzo Fernandez setting the tone inside the opening few minutes with a forceful challenge on Elliot Anderson.
No team has committed more fouls than the defending champions at the World Cup and although Laporte sees nothing wrong with an aggressive approach, he feels Argentina have been crossing a line.
"It's the referee's job to keep a handle on these things so the situation doesn't get out of hand," the former Manchester City star told Marca.
"Especially with Argentina. They're a team that likes to leave a mark on their opponents. That sort of thing shouldn't be allowed in football - particularly in major competitions - because it can unsettle you and make you angry."
Scaloni unsure over Messi's future
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said he does not know if Sunday's World Cup final will be Lionel Messi's final appearance for his country, admitting the evergreen 39-year-old "doesn't stop surprising us".
Messi is playing at his sixth World Cup and will be bidding to lift the trophy for the second time when he makes his 207th appearance for his country.
The Golden Boot and Golden Ball are also still up for grabs for Messi heading into the final, but perhaps we have not seen the last of the Inter Miami star regardless of what happens in East Rutherford on Sunday.