Spain manager Luis Enrique has suggested that he has tactical reasons for his continued snub of David de Gea in his international squads.
The Manchester United goalkeeper has 45 caps to his name but has not actually represented his country since October 2020. He was an unused substitute for the entirety of 2021 and has not made either of Enrique's squads this calendar year.
This time around, Athletic Club's Unai Simon, Brentford's David Raya and Brighton's Robert Sanchez have all made the squad ahead of De Gea, and Enrique has now alluded as to why.
When asked about Simon's position as a starter, the boss said: "What I am looking for is 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.
"For us, a goalkeeper has to start the moves. We need a goalkeeper who dominates the aerial game, their box, and for me, it's what he transmits. I need the goalkeeper to transmit peace and calmness to me.
"That doesn't mean they won't make mistakes, errors are part of football, but I like what these three generate a lot."
De Gea has long been criticised for an alleged inability to dominate his box, while his distribution has also come under fire at times, and Enrique appears to have decided to move on from the United stopper.
Enrique has brought in a new wave of Spanish talent as he looks to take his country back to the top of the mountain, and he insisted that his decision to build around certain youngsters was a simple one.
"It's not like I've discovered penicillin," he joked. "If I see Pedri and I like Pedri, then he stays in the team. Then I see Gavi, and he comes too.
"It's based on my principles, I have to be faithful to what I think. And I'm still open to surprises heading into the World Cup.
"There will also be some players who come up short, but if you bet on something, it's because you are convinced."
Source : 90min