Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Llorente, Koke, Morata named in Spain squad; Ceballos, Thiago miss out

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - Atletico Madrid v Granada - Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - September 27, 2020. Atletico Madrid's Marcos Llorente scores their fourth goal REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Spain coach Luis Enrique has handed Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente a first call-up and recalled Koke and Alvaro Morata to the squad for the upcoming internationals against the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.

The coach omitted Rodrigo Moreno and Dani Ceballos from the squad as well as Thiago Alcantara, who is still struggling after sustaining a knee injury last month.

A holding midfielder for most of his career and with Spain's under-21s, Llorente has reinvented himself as a wide forward under Atletico coach Diego Simeone, scoring eight goals since changing position in February.

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Spain Press Conference - NSC Olympiyskiy, Kyiv, Ukraine - October 12, 2020 Spain coach Luis Enrique during the press conference REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

"He is a very complete player and I'll ask him where he is most comfortable playing," Luis Enrique told a news conference on Friday.

"He's very versatile, he's scored lots of goals and provided lots of assists recently. I'm really looking forward to seeing how he does and what he can offer us."

Llorente's team mate Koke is the fourth most-capped player in the squad but has not been called up since October 2018.

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Juventus Training - Juventus Training Center, Turin, Italy - November 3, 2020 Juventus' Alvaro Morata during training REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

"I've always liked Koke, he's a top level player and a great person but there is a lot of competition in our midfield," the coach said after recalling the midfielder.

He also praised Morata for returning to form at Juventus this season, scoring six goals in seven games in all competitions, including a brace in a 4-1 win over Ferencvaros in the Champions League on Wednesday.

"I've called Morata up because since he has returned to Juventus he has been full of confidence and his numbers reflect that and I really like the attitude he has shown in attack and defence," he added.

Spain visit the Netherlands for a friendly on Nov. 11, then play UEFA Nations League matches away to Switzerland on Nov. 14 and at home to Germany on Nov. 17.

(Reporting by Richard Martin; Editing by Toby Davis)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.