Spain manager Julen Lopetegui has named his 23-man squad for the World Cup and Chelsea quartet Marcos Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, Alvaro Morata and Pedro have all been left out.
Cesar Azpilicueta has been included in the squad that will fly to Russia, as has former Chelsea striker Diego Costa.
Pedro was never really expected to make the squad whilst Morata’s position was also in doubt. Fabregas was tipped by plenty of pundits to be included and Alonso was seen by many as a certainty, but he too has been left out.
Azpilicueta has been included and will likely be battling for a place at full-back as it Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique are expected to be Lopetegui’s preferred central defensive duo.
Morata’s exclusion rounds off a difficult campaign for the striker who hasn’t been able to reproduce the form he showed at Juventus. His lack of form saw him dropped for the FA Cup final and now he’s out of the Spain squad too.
