Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Simon Bajkowski

Man City signing Ferran Torres gets backing from Spain boss Luis Enrique

Ferran Torres and Eric Garcia are in pole position to make the European Championships with Spain after being handed their first call-ups to the senior squad.

Luis Enrique made a number of changes to his squad for September games with Germany and Ukraine, with young, fresh faces replacing more senior stars with experience.

If that could be seen as a changing of the guard - questions have been asked of both La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid after their disappointing Champions League campaigns - Enrique insisted that the players were picked for the present rather than the future and that this would be his squad for the Euros if he had to pick it tomorrow.

While there is still a year for change, the opportunity has been given to Garcia and Torres for them to hold on to as they look to build on their respective years. Torres has just arrived at Manchester City for an initial fee of €23m from Valencia, while Barcelona will be expected to pay a similar amount if they are to sign contract rebel Garcia from the Etihad this summer.

Torres responded to the news, saying: "Pure joy! Super happy about my first senior team call-up, and to have the opportunity to represent my country in the next two games."

Meanwhile, Enrique talked up Garcia's qualities as he was asked to explain the defender's call-up.

"He has been in the lower teams of the national team and has always done very well on the field, leading inside and outside," he said. "He is a very prepared, intelligent, tactical, mature player with a good ball output. I hope he has opportunities to continue growing.

"We summon him for his level, not because there are casualties or other reasons. Hopefully he will be central to the national team for a long time. "

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.