Atlanta, United States (AFP) — Lamine Yamal is hard to avoid on the approach to Atlanta’s futuristic stadium where adverts featuring the 18-year-old adorn the sides of giant skyscrapers, but it is on the pitch that Spain desperately need the Barcelona superstar.

The European champions flunked their opening test of the World Cup, drawing 0-0 against debutants Cape Verde, sparking doubts over their status as one of the pre-tournament favourites.

Yamal was kept in reserve until the final quarter as he is nursed back to full fitness from a hamstring injury that had kept him sidelined for nearly two months.