Why did Yan Diomande miss RB Leipzig vs SC Verl pre-season friendly?

RB Leipzig live-streamed the match for free on their official YouTube channel.

Before going to Saalfelden, Yan Diomande’s RB Leipzig had a pre-season game to take care of in Cottaweg, Leipzig-Alt-West, Germany. The Red Bull side hosted SC Verl, a 3. Liga team from Germany, at the RBL Football Academy on Saturday, August 1.

This match was set for two 60-minute periods. The Bundesliga regular side took part in their third friendly of the summer. They headed into this game with a 2-1 victory over VSG Altglienicke, which was followed by a 1-0 victory over FC Ingolstadt 04.

Meanwhile, Verl are the team that finished sixth in the third tier last season (2025-26). They did so with 15 points more than Ingolstadt.

Looking at the starting XI posted by RB Leipzig, we see Maarten Vandevoordt in between the posts. The likes of Johan Bakayoko, Lukas Klostermann, and Benjamin Henrichs formed part of the core starting team. But everyone clearly noticed one big name not in the squad, let alone the lineup.

Also read: Why did Cristian Romero & Djed Spence miss Tottenham vs Chelsea pre-season friendly?

Why did Yan Diomande miss out on facing SC Verl in the pre-season friendly?

Yan Diomande, who is just 19, was the big name not in the squad. But why did he miss out?

Many players across the world who made a deep run in the FIFA World Cup 2026 were given some time off by their respective clubs. In the case of Diomande, his Ivory Coast national football team could only reach the round of 32. They were sent packing by Norway, who won the match 2-1.

After that 30 June match, Yan Diomande has clearly had his rest. Usually, 21 days was vouched for by FIFPRO for player well-being. It has been more than a month for the Bundesliga winger.

So taking time off isn’t the reason in the case of this player. Although the club posted on social media that their star player is ‘ill,’ rumours have it otherwise.

Going by the words of famous journalist Fabrizio Romano, he is all set to join Real Madrid this summer. The deal is worth around 100 million euros. Given the amount of money on the table, Leipzig clearly wouldn’t want to lose all that to an untimely injury or anything else.

They may have opted to keep their star player healthy and fit, for the transfer to take place without any friction. However, nothing is official as of yet.

Also read: Why Real Madrid are paying €120m to sign Yan Diomande?

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