Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has admitted his surprise at Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara being left out of Spain's 26-man World Cup squad.
Thiago enjoyed an outstanding 2021/22 campaign with the Reds after helping Jurgen Klopp's side to two major trophies and within touching distance of both the Champions League and Premier League.
The Spaniard has served as a calming presence within the club's midfield department since joining from Bayern Munich during the summer of 2020 but continues to be overlooked on the international stage.
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Limited to substitute appearances only at Euro 2020, a similar scenario unfolded at the 2018 World Cup after being handed only one start in the group stages before his country crashed out. Missing out altogether at the current tournament, Spain manager Luis Enrique has instead opted for emerging talents such as Gavi and Pedri of Barcelona.
It's not only Liverpool fans who have been left confused by his omission, with Tomiyasu of Arsenal also taken aback. After being asked to name his favourite member of Enrique's squad, the Japan international picked the Reds' No.6 - unaware he had not been selected to represent his country.
"He's not coming? a visibly confused Tomiyasu told AS. "Sorry, I didn't know that," he added after learning of this news. Spain and Japan will go head-to-head in Group E at the World Cup next Thursday, with Germany representing the final group stage fixture for both teams.
Asked to clarify why Thiago and other experienced professionals had failed to make the cut for his final selection, Enrique told reporters earlier this month : "The message is of thanks. I know it’s a disappointment. They deserved to be here, but only 26 can be in the squad. If it were a normal World Cup, we would integrate the physical needs into the training, but halfway through the season we are not going to work on the physical level of a player.
"I’m not going to go into the players that aren’t on the list. I thank everyone who has helped us get here, but now the important ones are the 26 called up. We have a lot of young people, but also veterans. There is a good mix."
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