Uncapped Sergio Reguilon, Pau Torres and Gerard Moreno were handed their first Spain call-ups yesterday after being named in coach Robert Moreno’s squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Norway and Sweden.
Spain coach Moreno was unable to call up Barcelona’s 16-year-old Ansu Fati after local media reports suggested he was in line to be fast-tracked to the senior setup after receiving Spanish citizenship last month.
Under-21 boss Luis de la Fuente’s said later yesterday that they had not received the international clearance paperwork for the player.
Villarreal forward Moreno is La Liga’s top scorer with six goals in seven appearances.
Teammate Torres is the latest in a long line of central defenders to receive a call-up as Spain search for a reliable partner for captain Sergio Ramos following Gerard Pique’s international retirement after last year’s World Cup. There was also a recall for their teammate Santi Cazorla.
Only four players from Spain’s ‘big three’ clubs of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid — Ramos, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Busquets and Saul Niguez — made the cut following stuttering starts to the season for all three sides.
Spain, who are top of Group F having won all six of their Euro 2020 qualifiers, visit Norway on October 12 before traveling to Sweden on October 15 as they look to seal qualification for next year’s tournament. They beat Norway 2-1 in March and Sweden 3-0 in June in their previous group meetings.
