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Spain head coach Luis Enrique revealed what he told goalkeeper David de Gea before dropping him from the squad for friendlies against Iceland and Albania.
De Gea has been in exceptional form for Manchester United but has fallen out of favor with his national team. The 31-year old was dropped from the starting lineup after Spain’s UEFA Nations League defeat to Ukraine in November 2020.
He was then considered behind both Unai Simon and Robert Sanchez in the pecking order for Euro 2020.
De Gea was not in the squad for the recent friendlies against Iceland and Albania. Alvaro Morata scored a hat-trick against Iceland to help his side to a 5-0 victory while goals from Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo helped Spain to a 2-1 victory over Albania.
After the match against Iceland, Luis Enrique revealed what he told David de Gea:
"David, I want to try out other goalkeepers. In the next squad list, you will see.”
According to Marca, De Gea accepted the decision and reiterated his commitment to compete for a starting spot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Can Manchester United’s David de Gea reclaim starting spot in Spain squad?
David de Gea has been in astounding form this season for Manchester United. He has produced trademark miracle saves on a regular basis for the club.
De Gea is arguably one of the best in the history of football when it comes to shot-stopping.
However, his distribution and physicality that are often questioned. De Gea was not in good form last season but has produced a remarkable resurgence since then.
He has been Manchester United’s most important player since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and was wanted by Real Madrid in the summer of 2014.
The goalkeeper’s club career could have gone in a far different direction but he stayed back despite a lengthy and frustrating transition. Regardless, David de Gea still has a lot of quality and can be expected to sneak in ahead of his competitors in the La Roja squad.
