Carlos Espi left out again as Spain debut is delayed by Luis de la Fuente

Carlos Espi will have to wait longer for his first Spain appearance after Luis de la Fuente excluded the Real Madrid striker from the 23-man squad for Tuesday’s meeting with Croatia in Split.

Espi was called up at short notice to replace the injured Ferran Torres, but the Spain manager decided not to include him in the final selection for the match. It means the forward has now been left out for two consecutive games, having also been omitted from the squad that faced the Czech Republic.

The striker had earned attention with Spain Under-21s after scoring five goals in a 13-0 victory over San Marino. That performance led to his promotion to the senior squad following Torres’ injury, but he has yet to make his international debut.

De la Fuente has again opted to use Roberto Fernandez in attack. The forward featured against the Czech Republic and has retained his place among the manager’s preferred options for the trip to Croatia, while Espi remains outside the matchday group.

Spain’s squad for the game is:

Unai Simon, David Raya, Dean Huijsen, Aymeric Laporte, Robin Le Normand, Sergio Pubill, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella, Ivan Fresneda, Alejandro Grimaldo, Fran Garcia, Rodri, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Mikel Oyarzabal, Lamine Yamal, Yeremy Pino, Victor Munoz, Alex Baena and Roberto Fernandez.

Spain’s decision leaves Espi waiting for another opportunity despite his strong showing at Under-21 level and his emergency call-up to the senior side.

Croatia, meanwhile, have brought Ante Budimir back into their forward line for the match. Mario Pongracic has also come into the defence to replace his absent team-mate Smolcic.

The game in Split will therefore take place without Espi making his first appearance for Spain, with De la Fuente choosing to keep faith with the attacking options who were already involved in the previous fixture.