The 29-year-old Arsenal sing praises to the youngster from Barcelona

Arsenal’s David Raya has praised Barcelona’s youngster Lamine Yamal, but has appealed to everyone to let him enjoy his football.

Lamine Yamal made a strong impression on the main stage over the summer, scoring once and assisting four goals as Spain won Euro 2024.

Since then, the 17-year-old has returned to club football in fantastic form, scoring 10 goals in 11 games for Barcelona.

Not many players operate at this level before they officially reach adulthood, with former Gunner Cesc Fàbregas recently calling the teenager “the most talented player in the world”.

However, being exposed so forcefully at such an early stage in your career can take a mental and physical toll.

Yamal has had to sit out the last international break with muscle strain and while Arsenal’s David Raya has praised the youngster, he has asked everyone to support the player as well.

“I understand the comparisons in the press, but you shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone,” Raya said. “He is a 17-year-old boy who is playing a stick, he is a genius, a great player who has something special, but we have to stop making comparisons.

“It is better to let him enjoy football because he is very young. He’s leading right now, but tough times are coming and that’s when we’re going to have to support him.”

If all goes well for him, Yamal should spend the next few decades at the top of the game. But we’ve seen time and time again that things don’t always go as planned for young players.

A serious injury, a botched transfer, off-field issues, there are many things that can derail any player’s career.

As Fàbregas suggests, Yamal has the talent to be a legend. However, as Raya points out, this will only happen with the right support.