(Adds details)
* Negredo included over Soldado
* Torres also selected
* Villa “irreplaceable” says Del Bosque
By Brian Homewood
SCHRUNS, Austria, May 27 (Reuters) – Striker Roberto Soldado
was left out of Spain’s squad for Euro 2012 on Sunday, despite
scoring a hat-trick for his country in March.
Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo was selected ahead of Soldado, with
Fernando Torres also included by the world and European
champions despite his erratic form at Chelsea.
There were no major surprises in the 23-man squad named by
coach Vicente del Bosque, with defender Carles Puyol and striker
David Villa having already been ruled out of the tournament
because of injury.
Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez was overlooked despite
scoring on his debut in the 2-0 win over Serbia on Saturday.
Manchester United’s David de Gea also failed to make the cut
despite being included in a provisional squad which has been
training in Austria.
Del Bosque admitted that Villa, who ruled himself out after
failing to recover from a broken leg he suffered in December,
would be difficult to replace.
“Villa is irreplaceable with his characteristics and
effectiveness, nobody has done better than him,” Del Bosque told
reporters.
“We have to look for solutions and we have plenty of them. I
have to say, because of all the time he has been with us, that
Villa is irreplaceable.
“There is no special case,” he added, of the players who
missed out. “It’s the same for everyone, Soldado, Adrian and the
rest. They may feel upset but they must be good sportsmen.
“In September, we will make more call-ups so they have to be
ready for that. In football, you need to bring in new blood, but
not make changes for the sake of it.”
Valencia’s Soldado scored a hat-trick against Venezuela in
March as he made his first national team outing for nearly five
years, but Del Bosque opted for Negredo, who hit 13 goals in La
Liga for Sevilla last season.
(Editing by Justin Palmer)
