Uncapped Barca midfielder Pedri called up for Spain

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona midfielder Pedri was called up to the Spain squad for the first time on Monday ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Greece, Georgia and Kosovo.

The 18-year-old Pedri has been one of the stars of the season in La Liga after establishing himself as a key creator in Barca’s midfield.

Likened to former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, Pedri will be pushing for a place in Luis Enrique’s starting line-up at this summer’s European Championships.

There were also returns to the squad for Barca left back Jordi Alba and Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

Alba has been out of favour since Luis Enrique’s re-appointment in 2019 while Thiago missed the last meet-up in November due to a knee injury.

Spain begin their World Cup qualification campaign against Greece in Granada on March 25 before playing away in Georgia three days later. Their final game will be against Kosovo in Seville on March 31.

Spain squad

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Manchester United/ENG), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Sanchez (Brighton/ENG)

Defenders: Pedro Porro (Sporting Lisbon/POR), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Inigo Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Jose Gaya (Valencia), Eric Garcia (Manchester City/ENG), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Diego Llorente (Leeds/ENG)

Midfielders: Fabian Ruiz (Napoli/ITA), Pedri, Sergio Busquets (both Barcelona), Rodri Hernandez (Manchester City/ENG), Koke, Marcos Llorente (both Atletico Madrid), Sergio Canales (Real Betis), Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool/ENG)

Forwards: Dani Olmo (Leipzig/GER), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ferran Torres (Manchester City/ENG), Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Alvaro Morata (Juventus/ITA), Bryan Gil (Eibar)