Barcelona in-form defender could be called up to the Spain NT as replacement for injured star | OneFootball

Inigo Martinez has been silently on song for Barcelona from day one of the season and is one of the team’s most underappreciated stars under Hansi Flick.

The player has been one of La Liga’s finest defenders this season in his own right and even spoke recently about his dream of linking up with the Spanish national team as part of his recent resurgence.

The moment he has been waiting for suddenly does not seem very distant anymore.

A window of opportunity

Luis de la Fuente called up the likes of Pedri, Marc Casado and Dani Olmo to join up with the national team in the ongoing international break.

Pau Cubarsi missed out on being called up through his injury while Lamine Yamal did not travel despite being named in the squad as he suffered a fitness setback.

Spain NT return on the horizon? (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)

Now, AS reveals that La Roja defender Pau Torres is injured and will not travel with de la Fuente’s side for the upcoming friendlies.

The manager is thus considering calling up Inigo Martinez as a replacement given the player’s form, and deservedly so.

It remains to be seen who the manager finally opts for, but the veteran Basque defender is the frontrunner and an official confirmation can be expected soon.

If called up, Martinez will have the chance to feature for Spain against Denmark and Switzerland in the coming weeks.

Martinez made his debut for Spain in 2013 and has made 21 appearances for his country, scoring one goal in the process. He last started for Spain against Georgia one year ago, notably in the same game that Gavi injured his ACL.