MADRID, 23 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The U-21 national coach, Luis de la Fuente, assured this Monday after announcing the call for the matches against Northern Ireland and Malta that close the qualifying phase for the 2023 European Championship in the category that, despite already being classified , they will seek to “win everything”.
“We want to win all the games and the demand is maximum. We no longer have the requirement to achieve classification because it has been achieved. But we want to win all the games and the demand is going to be of the highest level for the players,” he assured at a press conference .
De la Fuente acknowledged that it gives him “some peace of mind” to be able to see, with the ticket for the European Championship insured, “another type of player.” “We will see other players who in other circumstances perhaps would not have had the opportunity. There are moments of form in a season, there are sensations, and we put those ingredients in the shaker to give the list,” he said.
“We don’t look at the name. We try to be fair and make it possible for these guys who are earning it for people to know them and for them to integrate into the group. It’s gaining steps and gaining time over time,” he commented on the matter.
Two of these new faces are the attacker Hugo Novoa, from RB Leipzig German and U-19 international, and Adrián Bernabé, a versatile midfielder with a past at Manchester City who is now having weight at Parma, from the Italian Serie B .
“Hugo has already participated with the U-19s and is a player with great prospects and future. Adrián Bernabé has grown a lot, in a great second round at Parma, he is earning a place in professional football. We believe that now is the time to have this opportunity”, valued on both.
On the other hand, he highlighted the versatility of Anderlecht left winger and winger Sergio Gómez. “He’s doing very well, we’re using him as a winger. In our style he brings us a lot. He’s winning it at Anderlecht, in a position he hadn’t held until this season. These are reasons for the footballer to grow. He’s showing a very high level and he is earning it”, he appreciated.
Also, when asked about the return of Ansu Fati to the senior team after his injury, he showed “great happiness” for the recovery of the Blaugrana. “We have to be very happy that a young footballer of such talent has had a hard time, because being there is a reason for maximum joy. Spanish football wins a top-level footballer, we will have many moments to enjoy it,” he predicted.
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