FC Barcelona have most of their first team players away from the club as they tend to their national team duties with their respective countries. Most of these players are trying to help their national teams qualify for the UEFA EURO 2024 set to take place next year.
This week, Xavi only had a few Spanish players to train at Cuitat Esportiva Joan Gamper. However, another one of these players will not be available to Xavi as Ferran Torres was also called up by the Spain national team recently.
Spain lose out on two important forwards
The Spanish national team is set to face Cyprus in their upcoming match, but suffered a setback as they lost two of their important forwards, Marco Asensio and Dani Olmo, to injury. As a result, the Spaniards had to call up other forwards, and Ferran Torres was one who was trusted with Luis de la Fuente’s confidence.
De la Fuente gives reasons for calling up Torres
As SPORT has reported, De la Fuente explained the reasons why he had called up Ferran Torres. One such reason was his long history of working with the winger, as he commented: “I’ve known Ferran Torres for many years; I’ve seen his evolution and maturity as a footballer.”
The national team coach went on to comment that Ferran is lacking the confidence to be the player that he can be on the pitch: “[Ferran] needs confidence to be the Ferran we need. We cannot afford not to use players of this caliber.”
Further commenting on the matter, the coach insisted that with the injuries to Asensio and Olmo, this was the right time to utilize Torres’ talents, and that he trusted Torres would not miss out on this opportunity.
This is the first big test for Luis de la Fuente as he looks to take his team to the UEFA EURO 2024 after taking on from Luis Enrique after the last World Cup. Hopefully, this new coach can take Spain to its previous position of glory, and 23-year-old Barcelona winger can make his contributions towards these endeavors of his national team.
