Chelsea pair Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have been warned that they may not get back into the Spain squad following their controversial withdrawals…
Vicente del Bosque has warned Chelsea duo Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa that their places in the national squad are anything but guaranteed following their recent withdrawals, reports the Daily Star.
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Costa has been rested from international duty after Spain’s medical staff spoke to Chelsea about the striker. Cesc Fabregas then pulled out from the squad after allegedly picking up an injury against Liverpool.
Del Bosque has revealed that the pair may struggle to get back into the squad, with a number of players putting forward cases to be started ahead of them.
“Maybe when Costa and Cesc return, other players will have taken their place,” he said.
“That’s not a threat: it’s a reality. My responsibility has always been to search for normality, the best thing for our football.”
Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos have also voiced concerns about the Chelsea pair’s commitment to the international side. Both players know Jose Mourinho all too well from his time at Real Madrid, and know that he is not beyond pressurising his players to put their club ahead of their country.
“I would not have allowed this to happen, I would have come out and talked so that the subject did not grow bigger, and so that the problem was really known,” Ramos said.
“At least, to leave it clear, so that people do not speculate or invent things that are not real. I want player to show the same commitment to the national team as they do to their club.”
It is unclear whether they actually have injuries significant enough to warrant pulling out of international duty, but it is not uncommon to see players punished for putting their clubs ahead of their countries.