Spain coach Luis Enrique has handed Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente a first call-up and recalled Koke and Alvaro Morata for the upcoming internationals against the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.
The coach omitted Rodrigo Moreno and Dani Ceballos from the squad, as well as Thiago Alcantara who is still struggling after sustaining a knee injury last month.
A holding midfielder for most of his career and with Spain’s under-21s, Llorente has reinvented himself as a wide forward under Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone.
“He is a very complete player and I’ll ask him where he is most comfortable playing,” Luis Enrique told a news conference on Friday.
“He’s very versatile, he’s scored lots of goals and provided lots of assists recently. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he does and what he can offer us.”
Llorente’s team mate Koke is the fourth most-capped player in the squad but has not been called up since October 2018.
“I’ve always liked Koke, he’s a top level player and a great person but there is a lot of competition in our midfield,” the coach said after recalling the midfielder.
He praised Morata for returning to form at Juventus this season, scoring six goals in seven games in all competitions.
“I’ve called Morata up because since he has returned to Juventus he has been full of confidence and his numbers reflect that,” he added.
Spain visit the Netherlands for a friendly on Wednesday, then play UEFA Nations League matches away to Switzerland on November 14 and at home to Germany on November 17.
Reuters/NAN.
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