By Victor Kanayo
David De Gea will miss the 2022 World Cup after the Manchester United goalkeeper was dropped.
De Gea’s name was missing from five goalkeepers named by Spain’s coach on Friday.
De Gea has won 45 caps for Spain, having made his debut back in 2014.
But he has now been in the international wilderness for two years, having been continually snubbed by boss Luis Enrique.
The United stopper was named the club’s Players’ Player of the Season in 2021/22, in recognition for his heroic performances in an otherwise miserable season.
But that has done little to sway Enrique who has made it clear he values keepers’ ability on the ball as much as more traditional qualities.
That has seen Athletic’s Unai Simon and Brighton keeper Rober Sanchez move ahead of him in the pecking order in recent times.
That had naturally led to some concern that he would miss out on Spain’s squad for this winter’s showpiece tournament in Qatar.
However, a report in the Spanish publication AS has revealed that De Gea hasn’t even made Enrique’s provisional 55-man squad, which includes as many as five goalkeepers.
Along with Simon and Sanchez, it is understood Chelse’s Kepa Arrizibalaga and David Soria from Getafe have been included – albeit the latter pair will only be on standby.
It means De Gea will have a watching brief when the Premier League pauses next month, with many of his Red Devils teammates flying out to the Gulf state.
