Luis de la Fuente named as new Spain coach after Enrique exit

The Spanish football federation named Luis de la Fuente as the new coach of the national team after Luis Enrique stepped down from the role on Thursday.

FILE PHOTO: Luis de la Fuente wil take over as head coach of the Spanish football team. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Luis de la Fuente was named as Spain’s new coach on Thursday, shortly after Luis Enrique was sacked following the team’s exit from the FIFA World Cup.

The Spanish football federation confirmed the elevation of its under-21s boss two days after the 2010 champion was eliminated at the last-16 stage in Qatar by Morocco. His appointment will be ratified next week by the federation’s board of directors.

“The new coach will make his debut in March for Euro 2024 qualifiers, taking charge of his first games against Norway and Scotland,” the RFEF (Spanish football association) said in a statement.

De la Fuente will be officially presented on Monday as the new coach. The 61-year-old likes his teams to keep hold of the ball but is more flexible than Enrique and willing to try other strategies when necessary.

Many of the young players in the Spain World Cup squad previously played for De la Fuente at the youth level. He led Spain’s men’s team to the silver medal at last year’s Olympics.