Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has explained his decision to call up Gavi and Eric Garcia to his World Cup squad for this summer’s tournament.
Gavi gets the nod after returning from a serious injury, while Eric has been rewarded for an outstanding season with Hansi Flick’s side.
The duo are part of a squad containing eight Barcelona players, and De la Fuente spoke about why he called up the two players after announcing his list.
“I don’t know if there are eight or how many from Barça. They’re national
team players, I don’t care where they play. I was really upset about Gavi’s injury,” he told a press conference.
“He’s the team’s plaything, and I don’t need to tell you anything about his footballing ability. He’s very versatile. He’s one of the best players in the world.
“Eric was with me in the youth teams and at the Olympics. He’s joining this group and will be just another member. He hasn’t come before because the circumstances weren’t right.
“I want to talk about why Eric and Pubill are coming. They’ve performed very well this season. I have to make decisions, and we felt it was the right time. That’s why we made this decision. I already said I was going to look at players who haven’t been with us.”
Gavi was typically emotional at hearing news of his call-up, something De la Fuente loved to see.
“I’m going to start crying too. That shows the human quality of this group. That’s just as important as the purely footballing aspects,” he added.
