FIFA World Cup: Injured Gaya out of Spain squad; Balde announced as replacement
Spain’s Jose Gaya has been ruled out of the World Cup with an injury, The Royal Spanish Football Federation confirmed on Friday.
Published : Nov 18, 2022 19:01 IST
File Photo: Spain’s Jose Gaya. | Photo Credit: REUTERS/Pablo Morano
Spain left-back Jose Gaya has been ruled out of the World Cup with an injury, The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed on Friday.
Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde will be Gaya’s replacement in the squad for the 2010 world champions, with the 19-year-old earning his first senior call-up.
Gaya was subjected to an MRI after the injury, and the report said that the player had suffered a low-grade lateral sprain in his right ankle. He will return to Spain in the next few hours.
Gaya got injured in a training session ahead of Spain’s warmup match against Jordan. After analysing the situation and consultation with the medical team, head coach Luis Enrique made the decision to replace the Valencia full-back.
Post Spain’s 3-1 win against Jordan, Luis Enrique said that Gaya’s injury was the worst news since the beginning of the Spanish World Cup camp.