Vicente del Bosque today announced that Vitolo and Sergio Asenjo have won call-ups to the national team squad ahead of games against Ukraine and the Netherlands.
There were also recalls for Atletico Madrid midfielder Mario Suarez as well as Athletic Bilbao defender Mikel San Jose.
Rayo Vallecano striker Alberto Bueno’s hopes of a call-up were dashed by del Bosque, who instead preferred to name Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata in his full squad.
Instead, Sevilla winger Vitolo and Villarreal goalkeeper Asenjo will hope to impress the Spain boss and win their first senior caps.
Vitolo, a right-footed winger who has played primarily on the left for Sevilla this season, has been rewarded for his decent form which has seen the club challenge the top four. The 25-year-old has scored eight times this season and contributed seven assists as Sevilla go well in both La Liga and the Europa League.
He scored the fastest ever goal in the tournament at the beginning of the month, notching against Asenjo and Villarreal in Sevilla’s 3-1 first leg win after just 13 seconds. A regular goal threat, the Gran Canarian winger has found the net with regularity since moving from the island in 2013.
Asenjo, also 25, has been on the scene for a lot longer than Vitolo, originally being the highest-rated goalkeeper at Atletico Madrid, ahead of David De Gea.
Again, Asenjo will find himself behind De Gea in the Spanish pecking order. Despite this, he can regard the call-up as a reward for his brilliant club form over the past 18 months.
Injuries had previously held Asenjo back as the goalie suffered numerous knee problems which prevented him from getting a consistent run in any of his old sides. That was until 2013 when newly-promoted Villarreal took a punt on Asenjo, who then missed just three games as the Yellow Submarines qualified for the Europa League.
A product of the Spanish youth system, Asenjo tasted success at both Under 17 and Under 19 levels, winning the European Championships in 2007. His route to the senior squad has been a longer one than many had envisioned!
