Luis Enrique called David de Gea before announcing the list of the Spanish players who would participate in the country’s friendly duels against Albania and Iceland in the March international break.
The Spain coach dropped the Manchester United goalkeeper for the first time since De Gea made his national team debut in 2014 under Vicente Del Bosque.
After La Roja’s 5-0 win against Iceland at the Estadio Riazor on Tuesday, Luis Enrique didn’t hesitate to reveal what he told De Gea on that call.
“David, I want to try out other goalkeepers,” was the Spain coach’s explanation, with De Gea accepting Luis Enrique‘s decision, expressing his gratitude for letting him know and stressing that he will do his best to compete for a spot in the squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
“In the next squad list, you will see,” Luis Enrique added after the game on Tuesday.
What next for De Gea?
Meanwhile, Brentford goalkeeper David Raya was introduced in the starting line-up in Spain‘s game against Albania with eight months to go until the Qatar World Cup.
Despite being an undisputed starter at the Old Trafford, De Gea fell behind Unai Simon in Luis Enrique‘s pecking order after Spain‘s defeat to Ukraine in UEFA Nations League in October 2020.
The Athletic Club goalkeeper was considered as a starter in Euro 2020, with Brighton‘s Robert Sanchez also ahead of De Gea in the pecking order.
Now, De Gea is not even amongst Luis Enrique‘s call-ups. It is a matter of trust and also of what the Spain coach asks his goalkeepers to do on the pitch.
Marca
