Spain are not doing Brighton and Hove Albion forward Ansu Fati any favours by including him in their current squads, as he simply isn’t at the level he once was.
That’s according to journalist Bruno Alemany, who has criticised the selection of the Brighton man.
Fati is currently part of the Spain squad for this international break and was handed a 45-minute appearance in the 1-0 win over Norway on Sunday.
Despite the win, Fati was unable to make much of a mark, meaning he has now gone five appearances for his country without a goal or an assist, his last coming in the 3-1 win over Jordan in November last year.
It’s been a difficult year for him for club and country, having also found himself out of the picture at Barcelona and subsequently loaned to Brighton in the hope of getting back on track this season.
That’s yet to really happen, with him playing a bit part role at best under Roberto De Zerbi to date as the Italian looks to get the forward up to speed.
Indeed, it was a surprise when the Brighton man was called up for this international break and Alemany believes it is a major mistake.
“It seems to me that we are not doing him any favours by calling him to the national team,” he said.
“Luis Enrique did not do him any favours calling up to the World Cup squad at a time when he was not ready to go to a World Cup.
“Nor has Luis Fuente been doing it lately, calling him up, saying in a press conference that he sees him as a cannon and such because then we get to the games and that is not what we see.
“He is a footballer who used to have a passion and was a goal getter. Now when he receives the ball, first he tries to ensure that everything is controlled.
“He is not even close to the level, which is a shame. I like him a lot, but we have to say things as we see them and that’s how I see it.”