Fran García returns to Spain’s squad to replace Grimaldo with Luis de la Fuente

Luis de la Fuente has called up Fran García, the left-back from Real Betis, to replace the late withdrawal of Alejandro Grimaldo in Spain’s senior squad. The move comes after Grimaldo felt discomfort in his left thigh during the warm-up before the Spain-Croatia match at the Sánchez-Pizjuán.

As the national team’s statement explained, he left the camp out of caution following medical checks, to avoid any extra risk and protect the player’s health.

Fran García joins the concentration for the remaining two fixtures of this international window: this Saturday in Oviedo vs the Czech Republic, and next Tuesday 6 October in Split vs Croatia. It’s his return to the senior setup after three years, having previously played under Luis de la Fuente in Euro 2024 qualifiers against Scotland and Norway.