Spain coach convinces 26-year-old French defender to snub Les Bleus and represent La Roja at international level: Reports
According to El Nacional, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has convinced Robin Le Normand to snub the French national team and play for La Roja. The 26-year-old central defender currently plays for La Liga side Real Sociedad.
He has made 25 appearances for the Basque club this season, helping the team keep 12 clean sheets so far. Sociedad are currently third in La Liga this season and defensive solidity is one of the main reasons behind the team's success.
Le Normand was born in Pabu, France and came up through the academies of Brest before joining Sociedad's youth ranks. However, the player could very well represent Spain at the international level. The same happened with Aymeric Laporte when Luis Enrique took charge in 2019. Despite representing France at the youth level, the Manchester City star later played for La Roja.
De La Fuente is looking to build Spain from scratch, and a player of Le Normand's caliber would certainly be a welcome addition to his team. The 26-year-old has amassed interest from top leagues across Europe. His agent Eric Olhats, however, recently claimed that the player would stay at the Basque club. Olhats told Mundo Deportivo:
"Robin has everything, he is an undisputed starter, Real would not find a central player like him on the market or it would cost him much more, He will stay because he is a guy from another era, loyal to the colors of a club, I don't know what will go through his mind if a top 5 from Europe comes."
Normand has made 161 senior appearances for Sociedad in his career.
Sergio Ramos recently announced Spain retirement
Former Spain captain Sergio Ramos recently announced his retirement from international football. Ramos represented the Spanish national team 180 times, the most in La Roja's history.
Ramos claimed that Luis de la Fuente informed him that he doesn't feature in his plans. Ramos' statement read:
"The time has come, the time to say goodbye to the National Team, our beloved and exciting Red. This morning I received the call from the current coach who told me that he doesn't count and that he won't count on me, regardless of the level I can show or how I continue my sporting career."
Ramos won three major trophies with La Roja, one FIFA World Cup and two UEFA Euros.