'Yamal will be excellent for the next 12-14 years, maybe longer': Austria coach Rangnick

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] have eased the 18-year-old back into action ‌after he tore a hamstring in April, limiting him to ‌141 minutes over the three group games, during which he ‌scored once.[/p][p]"[b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lamine-yamal/lAt3vEub/"]Lamine Yamal[/a] is an excellent player, and he will be for the next 12, 13 or 14 years, maybe even longer,[/b]" ‌Rangnick told reporters on Wednesday.[/p][p]"If he stays ⁠healthy and keeps a ‌straight head on his shoulders, he can play a lot of ​matches. He is one of the players we will watch very closely tomorrow, not to give him a ​lot of room or too many opportunities to start his dribbling actions.[/p][p]"[b]He is a player that all football fans, no ⁠matter where they ​are from, love to watch. But it is our task tomorrow to let him have the ball as little as possible.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="74803e61-f0f6-4ccc-abff-9de3fe51f9c7" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg5H20vs3wI" social-type="youtube" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/austria/naHiWdnt/"]Austria[/a] scored six goals in three group-stage matches, one more than ‌Spain, but Rangnick acknowledged his side would need to raise their level against a team unbeaten in 34 matches stretching back to March 2023.[/p][p]"[b]We all know that we need to do even better tomorrow. Against Spain this is obvious,[/b]" Rangnick said. "[b]We have to make one further step.[/b]"[/p][p]Austria captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alaba-david/hKx3nCTp/"]David Alaba[/a], who spent five seasons with Real Madrid, said they were fully aware of the quality Spain have at ‌their disposal.[/p][p]"[b]They play very attractive football. They have enormous ​quality and individual players that can make a difference,[/b]" ‌Alaba said. "[b]But we don't want to hide. We really want to play forward and try to be successful.[/b]"[/p][p]Austria will be without defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mwene-philipp/troQho4L/"]Phillipp Mwene[/a] due to injury, but Rangnick said his team had enough options to overcome ⁠absences and that he ⁠remained convinced they could ‌challenge one of the tournament favourites.[/p]