Football
Adriana Garcia 6y

Spain's Luis Enrique: Not initially picking Iago Aspas a 'mistake'

Spain coach Luis Enrique has admitted he made a mistake to not select Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas in his initial squad after seeing him in training.

Aspas played in three of Spain's four games at the World Cup in Russia but was not a part of Luis Enrique's plans for the UEFA Nations League matches against England and Croatia. Luis Enrique later added the player to the group after Diego Costa requested permission to leave the team to be present at his daughter's birth.

Aspas started and played well and Spain beat England 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday.

"You makes up your mind on what you expect from someone and then training proves that it is something else," Luis Enrique said in a news conference. "I recognise my mistake.

"I've seen him fly in training. As coach, I'm open to changing my opinion provided players surprise me in training because the team is above anything else -- including what I may or may not think."

Aspas, who has scored six goals in 14 appearances for La Roja, has been a big hit in Spain since returning to La Liga following his spell at Liverpool.

The 31-year-old was the top Spanish scorer in La Liga for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaign.

Spain host Croatia on Tuesday night in Elche.

^ Back to Top ^