Iglesias, Williams get Spain’s first calls in last squad before WC

MADRID: Spain coach Luis Enrique brought in two new faces when he named his squad for the forthcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Switzerland and Portugal on Friday.

Betis striker Borja Iglesias and Athletic Club Bilbao winger Nico Williams were both included in the 25-man squad, which is also the last squad Enrique will give before naming his final group to the World Cup finals in Qatar.

"This would be the list if the World Cup was to start tomorrow, no doubt about it. I always take the players that I consider to be the best," Enrique told a press conference.

Iglesias gets his call-up after scoring 19 goals last season for Betis and starting this season with four goals in five appearances, while 20-year-old Williams is a surprise call-up but has impressed with his pace and ability to open up the pitch in the year and a half since his La Liga debut.

Nico is the younger brother of Athletic Club striker Inaki, who has recently committed his international future to Ghana and has been called into the squad for the forthcoming friendly games, reports Xinhua.

Enrique was limited in his choice of forwards, with Mikel Oyarzabal and Iglesaias' teammate Juanmi both long-term absentees, while Gerard Moreno, Dani Olmo and Rodrigo Moreno are also injured. Meanwhile, Raul de Tomas has not played all season and will not play before the World Cup after joining Rayo Vallecano earlier in the week.

Marco Asensio is included in the squad, despite only getting a handful of minutes with Real Madrid this season, while Barca left back Jordi Alba has been named ahead of his teammate Marcos Alonso.

The continued absence of David de Gea means the Manchester United keeper will almost certainly miss out on the World Cup.

Following is the squad:

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, Robert Sanchez, David Raya

Defenders: Pau Torres, Jordi Alba, Jose Gaya, Hugo Guillamon, Diego Llorente, Eric Garcia, Cesar Azpilicueta, Dani Carvajal

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo Hernandez, Pedri Gonzalez, Koke Resurreccion, Pablo Gavi, Carlos Soler, Marcos Llorente

Forwards: Pablo Sarabia, Nico Williams, Marco Asensio, Alvaro Morata, Borja Iglesias, Yeremy Pino, Ferran Torres.