Luis de la Fuente considers leaving 27-year-old Spain star out of Euro 2024 final line-up vs England: Reports
Spain are through to the finals of Euro 2024 and manager Luis de la Fuente has some big calls to make ahead of that all-important match on July 14. One of the most important decisions he has to take concerns the Spanish backline and who will partner Aymeric Laporte against Gareth Southgate's side.
Laporte has been one of the standouts in this tournament because of his leadership and solidity in the backline. However, his centre-back partner is where the main dilemma lies for Spain's manager.
Robin Le Normand has been a regular starter for La Roja in Euro 2024, but he missed his spot in the semifinals against France due to a suspension and was replaced by Nacho Fernandez. According to El Nacional.Cat, the 27-year-old defender might lose his place to Nacho Fernandez again in the final.
Nacho Fernandez is a Real Madrid veteran and has won a record six Champions Leagues for the Los Blancos. He has the experience to perform in crunch matches and has done it time and again in his career. Therefore, there is a huge possibility of Robin Le Normand starting from the bench in the final on Sunday and Nacho Fernandez partnering Aymeric Laporte in the Spanish backline.
Nacho was also in the starting lineup of Real Madrid in their Champions League final clash against Borussia Dortmund and he can repeat it in the final against England.
The 34-year-old is in excellent physical shape and played the full ninety minutes against France where he muffled the destructive French attack consisting of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Randal Kolo Muani, and others.
Spain's captain doubtful of starting Euro 2024 final clash against England
Spain's captain Alvaro Motrata has been leading from the front in Euro 2024 and has done a great job spearheading the Spanish lineup in this tournament. However, he suffered an unexpected and weird injury after his team's semifinal victory against France.
After La Roja came from behind to defeat Kylian Mbappe's side 2-1, Alvaro Morata started celebrating with the team. During the ongoing celebrations, a fan breached the security, entered the field, and was chased around by the ground security. Amid all this, a security guard inadvertently clashed with the Spanish skipper and he fell over, injuring his right leg.
This unexpected injury concern has sparked a lot of controversy and Spanish fans have voiced their frustration on social media about the security protocols during Euro 2024. Morata's injury will likely be checked thoroughly by the medical team before a decision is made.
The Spanish squad has many players to replace him in the number 9 position including the likes of Ferran Torres, Joselu, and Mikel Oyarzabal.