Euro 2024: Rodri, Cucurella Make Spain's Preliminary Squad
Spain's provisional squad for the upcoming European Championships has been unveiled, featuring notable inclusions from various clubs across Europe.
In a list comprising 29 players, Manchester City's Rodri, Chelsea's Marc Cucurella, and Arsenal loanee David Raya stand out as key selections for La Roja's midfield and goalkeeping departments.
However, some omissions have sparked attention, with Aston Villa's Pau Torres and Tottenham's Pedro Porro not making the cut for the provisional squad.
Manager Luis de la Fuente faces the task of reducing the squad by three before the final deadline on 7th June.
New faces in the squad include Barcelona's young talents Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, aged 16 and 17 respectively, as well as Fermin Lopez and former Newcastle player Ayoze Perez, earning their first senior call-ups for Spain.
Surprisingly, Paris St-Germain forward Marco Asensio, boasting 38 caps, has been left out of the preliminary selection.
De la Fuente, appointed as Luis Enrique's successor in December 2022, aims to steer Spain to success following their World Cup exit against Morocco in the last 16, with the hope of replicating their Nations League triumph in 2023.
Spain faces a challenging group stage alongside holders Italy, Croatia, and Albania, with their campaign commencing on 15th June against Croatia in Berlin.
Below is the provisional Spain squad:
Goalkeepers:
Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad), David Raya (Arsenal on loan from Brentford), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao)
Defenders:
Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Nacho (Real Madrid), Cucarella (Chelsea), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
Midfielders:
Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Fabian Ruiz (PSG), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Rodrigo (Manchester City), Llorente (Athletico Madrid), Pedri (Barcelona), Garcia (Girona on loan from Barcelona), Fermin (Barcelona)
Forwards:
Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Joselu (Real Madrid on loan from Espanyol), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ayoze Perez (Real Betis), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Williams JR (Athletic Bilbao)
