Spain striker Ferran Torres has withdrawn from the squad because of left ankle pain, ruling him out of the world champion’s remaining Nations League games against the Czechia and Croatia in this international break.
Carlos Espí of Real Madrid was called up to replace Torres, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final against Argentina in July.
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The Paris Saint-Germain player has been “experiencing discomfort in his left ankle,” the Spain team said in a statement ahead of Saturday’s game against the Czechs in Oviedo.
“Initially, this didn’t prevent him from training and playing, but due to the persistence of the symptoms, the decision was made to withdraw him from the squad to prioritize his recovery.”
Torres started the 3-2 win over England on Saturday before being substituted in the 55th minute. He was an unused replacement in the 4-1 victory over Croatia on Tuesday.
In his place, Espí has earned a first call-up to the Spain senior team after an impressive start to his time at Real Madrid. After signing from Levante this summer, Espí has scored two goals, both off the substitutes’ bench, in his first four LaLiga games.
Espí had been training with the Spain under-21 team and scored a team-record five goals in a 13-0 rout of San Marino in qualifying for the European U21 Championship on Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
