Luis Enrique has defended his World Cup squad selection for Spain after omitting Thiago Alcantara from his 26-man team for the upcoming tournament in Qatar.
The Liverpool midfielder has long been overlooked on the international stage due to competition in his area of the pitch from greats of the game such as Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Xavi and has not experienced a change in fortunes ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Thiago was selected by Spain at the last two major tournaments, making substitute appearances on both occasions, but has missed out altogether on this occasion to pave the way for emerging talents such as Gavi and Pedri of Barcelona.
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Indeed, an emphasis appears to have been placed on youth for the upcoming competition - highlighted by Sergio Ramos also failing to make the cut. Sending his message to those who will not be participating on the biggest stage in world football, Enrique said: "The message is of thanks. I know it’s a disappointment. They deserved to be here, but only 26 can be in the squad.
"If it were a normal World Cup, we would integrate the physical needs into the training, but halfway through the season we are not going to work on the physical level of a player.
"I’m not going to go into the players that aren’t on the list. I thank everyone who has helped us get here, but now the important ones are the 26 called up. We have a lot of young people, but also veterans. There is a good mix."
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