Spain's World Cup preparations have suffered another setback as winger Nico Williams was forced off with an apparent hamstring injury during Athletic Bilbao's 1-0 La Liga defeat to Valencia on Sunday.

The 23-year-old, a key figure for the European champions, left the field before half-time with a distressed expression and was later seen on the bench with an ice pack on his left hamstring. He had already missed several weeks earlier this year due to a different injury.

Williams has scored six goals in 30 appearances for Spain since his debut in 2022. This season, he has contributed six goals and seven assists in 32 games for Athletic Club.

His injury compounds Spain's worries, as the team was already concerned about star forward Lamine Yamal's fitness. Yamal suffered a torn hamstring last month while playing for Barcelona.

Spain are in Group H for the World Cup in North America. They will play their first two matches in Atlanta, Georgia, facing Cape Verde on June 15 and Saudi Arabia on June 21. The 2010 champions' final group game is on June 26 against Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico.

"He was limping a lot. He hadn't felt that type of pain before," Williams's Athletic teammate Inaki Williams said. "It's concerning, considering the moment we are in right now. Let's wait and hope for the best possible scenario."

Athletic did not immediately release details about Williams's injury. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is set to announce a 55-man preliminary squad for the World Cup this week.

Source: www.aljazeera.com