Spain coach Luis de la Fuente played down any disagreement with Barcelona over the deal with Lamine Yamal, but admitted that communication between the two could be better.
The Spanish Federation issued a statement on Tuesday expressing its surprise after learning that the 18-year-old had undergone surgery to treat a groin problem without prior notice from the La Liga club.
As a result they had to release the winger from the squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey.
“The relationship with all the clubs is great, although everything can be improved,” De La Fuente said at a press conference in Tbilisi. “We are performing excellently and we will continue to grow.”
“The best news is that he has been with us for 15 years. We have to think about the present and the future.
“Present means relying on the players we have, winning and securing qualification in practice – that is our focus.
“Everything can be improved and everyone will try to improve, but what we need to improve is our performance tomorrow. We are doing well and we need to keep improving.”
De la Fuente may be looking for improvement, but his side have been near-perfect in the qualifiers, winning all four games without conceding a goal, and if they avoid defeat to Georgia – who have lost three of four – they will set a new national record of remaining 30 games unbeaten.
Spain has not lost any official match that did not go to penalty kicks since March 2024.
He added: “What we are aiming for is to qualify for the World Cup, regardless of the statistics. We want to win tomorrow to practically guarantee qualification.”
“I have such a strong attachment to these players that I want them all to be legendary.
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He added: “Above all, I want everyone to remember them, and to be a team like the team that was between 2008 and 2012, which was legendary.”
“This team is on its way to that and these players have the opportunity to make history.”
Spain will guarantee qualification for the World Cup if it wins over Georgia and Türkiye does not beat Bulgaria, or if it draws and Türkiye loses.
But while De La Fuente was talking about his players, Arsenal midfielder Martin Zobimendi was keeping his feet on the ground.
“At the moment I don’t see myself playing in the World Cup,” he said. “It seems crazy because we still have to qualify.”
“Even if we do everything perfectly, we still depend on other results. Now, I’m just focusing on qualifying, nothing more.”
