Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has been left out of Spain's squad for upcoming March internationals, and has notably been overlooked in favour of Brighton's Robert Sanchez and Brentford's David Raya.
The 31-year-old has endured a mixed season with United. While he has often spared their blushes on the pitch and faced the media when the chips are down off it, he has remained prone to the odd error.
Weakness with the ball at his feet has also hindered his club side, particularly since Ralf Rangnick's arrival. And Spain boss Luis Enrique has decided not to include De Gea in the squad to face Albania and Iceland later this month.
De Gea had already fallen out of favour for La Roja and was not as highly rated in his home country as he is in England, losing his starting place to Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga a couple of years ago before Athletic Club's Unai Simon later took the number one spot.
What's further damning for De Gea is that two other Premier League goalkeepers have been given the nod by Enrique. Brighton's Sanchez is already a semi-regular fixture in the Spain setup now, but Brentford's Raya has not featured for his country at any level and returned to the Bees' lineup from a knee injury only recently.
While De Gea's struggles on the ball have been emphasised this season, Sanchez and Raya are both excellent on it, suggesting that this is a trait that Enrique strongly desires in his goalkeepers moving forward.
Source : 90min