Spain boss Luis Enrique has backed Real Madrid star Marco Asensio to become a key player for the national team in 2022.
Asensio finds himself at a career crossroads this summer, for both club and country, after an indifferent 2021/22 campaign with both Los Blancos and La Roja.
The 26-year-old started just 19 La Liga games last season with Carlo Ancelotti opting to utilise him as a rotating squad option in the Spanish capital.
Alongside a lack of regular football at club level, Enrique declined to call him up for two World Cup qualifier squads at the back end of 2021, before recalling him for UEFA Nations League duty.
Asensio was an unused substitute for the 1-1 draw with Portugal on June 2 but Enrique is still keen to retain him in his plans.
“Marco Asensio is a player blessed with world-class quality on the ball”, as per reports from Mundo Deportivo.
“Less than six players in world football have his shooting ability, but football has other variable to develop as a player.
“He has a new opportunity, and although he didn’t play the other day, there are another three games left.
“He is at one of the best clubs in the world, but when he comes into the Spain squad, he has to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Enrique’s Spain face the Czech Republic in Prague tomorrow night, before a trip to Switzerland on June 9, and a final game this month, against the Czechs in Malaga on June 12.
