Caio Henrique is one of the young full-backs whom FC Barcelona have been keeping an eye on recently. While a change of clubs for the left-back remains in the pipeline, he could also possibly see a change of his international teams in the future.
The Selecao recently announced its squad for a friendly match later in the month, which saw some surprising inclusions and exclusions. As already reported, Vitor Roque was called up for the first time to play with the senior team, while Neymar was left out with an injury, and FC Barcelona forward Raphinha was also not called up.
SPORT reports that another exclusion that has raised eyebrows in the Brazilian press is that of Caio Henrique. The Brazilians were already critical of his exclusion from the squad in Tite’s management, while the interim manager, Ramon Menezes, has also opted for Alex Telles and Renan Lodi ahead of Henrique.
This report claims that the latest exclusion can lead to a serious possibility of Henrique becoming willing to play for the Spanish National Team if he gets the chance. The player has a Spanish passport, and if Luis de la Fuente calls him up for his friendly or UEFA Nations League squad, the player would be more than willing to oblige the Spaniards.
The Spanish National team under Luis Enrique was already monitoring the status of the Ligue 1 defender. The youngster was seen as a viable option in the positional play style that the Spanish team has adapted. Especially, his abilities of defensive strength and being able to hold his own against numerically unfavorable conditions are of primary interest to the Spanish selectors.
Thus, being able to play for Spain can further develop the positional play aspect of Henrique’s game, and can also help him get more easily adapted in case of a move to Barcelona in the future.