Spanish national team boss Luis Enrique has, on Sunday, opened up on the ongoing absence of David de Gea from his setup.
La Roja, of course, are currently in the midst of the country’s latest stretch of competitive fixtures.
Ahead of the fast-approaching Qatar World Cup later this year, Spain are slated for a quartet of Nations League outings, versus Portugal, the Czech Republic (twice) and Switzerland.
With such matchups all coming within the space of 10 days, fresh off the close of the European club season, national team bosses were therefore left with little choice but to call up deep, quality-laden panels of players, aware that rotation will be an absolute must.
And yet, as alluded to above, Manchester United star David de Gea was not deemed worthy of even a spot amongst his country’s 25-man squad.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 18: David de Gea gestures towards the fans during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford on May 18, 2021 in Manchester, England (Photo by Paul Ellis – Pool/Getty Images)
Instead, Luis Enrique opted for a shot-stopper selection featuring the talents of Unai Simon, David Raya and Robert Sanchez.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, it therefore didn’t come as a major surprise when the subject of de Gea’s ongoing exclusion from his setup was put to Spain’s boss.
And, to his credit, he was not shy in providing an insight into the situation.
Hinting that his latest selection call came owing to a focus on technical ability and assuredness under the high ball on the part of his options between the posts, Enrique explained:
“I look to have three starting goalkeepers and I think that right now I have them. Honestly. I wouldn’t have an issue with any of the three of them starting.
“Unai has accumulated some interesting experience. A goalkeeper should start the play and generate the first superiority, they must dominate the aerial play.
“I need a goalkeeper that transmits peace and calmness to me – and that doesn’t mean they won’t make mistakes, errors are part of football. But what they generate I like a lot.”
Luis Enrique opens up on why he has left Man Utd star David de Gea out of Spain squad againhttps://t.co/C2cB9pwT33 pic.twitter.com/Y1ITDyDlRy
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) June 5, 2022
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