Atletico Madrid star set to earn surprise call-up for Euro 2024 ahead of Barcelona duo

On Monday, Luis de la Fuente will announce his Spain squad for Euro 2024. While the vast majority can predict most players that will be on the plane to Germany, there are certainly some areas that are harder to call – midfield is one of those.

Rodri Hernandez, Mikel Merino and Fabian Ruiz are nailed-on to go, while Martin Zubimendi should also go if he recovers from injury in time. Aside from that, no one else is assured, and this has allowed a surprise candidate to be in line for the call: Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente.

As per Marca, Llorente is primed to be included in de la Fuente’s squad to take to Germany. Despite an underwhelming season for Atleti, the 29-year-old has been in very good form, especially in the forward areas.

Regularly played as a right wing-back has gone against Llorente at times, as this has meant that he has not been included in a squad by de la Fuente since the 62-year-old replaced Luis Enrique after the 2022 World Cup. However, his offensive work is valued, and that has him ahead of Barcelona duo Pedri and Fermin Lopez, as well as Villarreal’s Alex Baena.

There’s no doubt that Llorente’s inclusion would be a surprise, although it would not be undeserved. It remains to be seen if he is selected, and also who else is in Spain’s 26-man squad.