England manager Roy Hodgson revealed that he will not be selecting national team captain Wayne Rooney in the squad to face defending European champions Spain in a friendly encounter scheduled to take place on Friday at Alicantea s Jose Rico Perez stadium.
England come into this match on the back of 10 successive victories in the qualifiers of Euro 2016, making them the only side in the competition to have a 100% win record. After underwhelming performances in major competitions over the past several years, the . Three Lions will be looking to assert their title credentials when they face one of Europe’s football powerhouses.
Spain also come into this match after having topped their Euro qualifying group, albeit not with a 100% record. Having won back to back European championships in 2008 and 2012, La Furia Roja were unceremoniously dumped out of the 2014 World Cup in the group stages. Del Bosque’s men will be anxious to get back to winning ways before next year’s European championships in France.
Rooney left out of the squad by Hodgson, Costa Recalled by Spain
Speaking to the media ahead of his side’s friendly clash against the Spaniards, Hodgson tried to explain the omission of Wayne Rooney from the England squad.
a Waynea s with me today because hea s the captain of our team, hea s the most important figure as a result, but he actually wona t start the game tomorrow,” said Hodgson (via WesternMorningNews).
“Ia m telling you that because Wayne and I are very anxious that wea re not trying to fool anybody or bamboozle anybody when hea s sat alongside me.
a Thata s for the very simple reason that wea re looking at various combinations. Wayne is pencilled in against France on Tuesday.
a Ita s important especially in these games that the manager has a chance to see as many players as he can before the tournament in the summer. As a player you want to play but you have understand that there are bigger things to consider.a
.@RBarkley20 set to start in advanced role behind @HKane tonight in Spain, says Roy Hodgson https://t.co/lgHzuIcqJh pic.twitter.com/dq1nKKSbQL
a England (@england) November 13, 2015
Chelsea striker Diego Costa, who was left out of Spain’s squad for their final two qualifiers, has been recalled by manager Vicente del Bosque.
“Chelsea are out of sorts this season and the players are suffering,” said Del Bosque (via Marca). “We know what sort of character Diego Costa has. He isn’t coming here because he’s being forced to or because he’s is in debt to us. I wouldn’t like him to think that he’s part of the Spain team because of a past agreement. He’s here because we believe in him.”
Defenders Sergio Ramos and Juanfran Torres have been left out of the Spanish squad due to injury. Athletic Bilbao’s Oscar de Marcos and Real Madrid’s Nacho Fernandez have been selected as their replacements.