‘Some players need a challenge to find the best of themselves’ – Luis de la Fuente on calling up Barcelona youngster | OneFootball

Luis de la Fuente announced his Spain squad on Friday afternoon for the upcoming Nations League matches against Denmark and Switzerland.

One surprising name that was called up for the first time was that of Marc Casadó, a 21-year-old midfielder who plays for Barcelona and has broken into the first-team picture this season.

Luis de la Fuente spoke in a press conference to explain his decision to call up such an inexperienced player. As per Cadena SER, the coach said ‘It is a very clear case of a footballer who has a lot to prove. From now on we are going to demand much more from everyone.‘

He also touched upon the fact that he believes some people need the challenge of a call-up to find the best version of themselves, clearly hinting at the Marc Casadó call-up.

The decision to throw Casadó in at the deep end clearly worked for Hansi Flick in Barcelona, as the youngster went from a midfielder outside of Xavi’s plans to a key figure in the German’s Barcelona squad.

It will remain to be seen whether the young midfielder will get much playing time in Spain’s upcoming fixtures, but the good thing about the Nations League is that it allows international managers to experiment in a setting outside of international friendlies.

GSFN | Ciaran Currie