Pedro Porro injury forces Luis de la Fuente to find a replacement

Pedro Porro suffered a muscle injury in the 17th minute of Tottenham's match against Aston Villa, was attended to on the pitch and was replaced by Archie Gray; the Royal Spanish Football Federation confirmed his withdrawal from the Nations League squad, leaving Luis de la Fuente without an available right-back.

Injury at Tottenham and defeat against Aston Villa

Pedro Porro returned to Roberto De Zerbi's starting eleven after missing the previous two games due to a muscle problem. The Italian coach had confirmed during the week that he was recovered and available, but the full‑back went down on the turf in the 17th minute, received treatment and was substituted. Archie Gray came on in his place and the Spurs lost at home to Aston Villa managed by Unai Emery.

Impact on the Nations League squad

The RFEF confirmed Porro's withdrawal hours after the match, keeping the Nations League list at 25 players. Luis de la Fuente has not yet called up any replacement for the right flank.

Porro will miss the debut against England at Wembley on Saturday, September 26, Croatia's visit to Seville, the match with the Czech Republic in Oviedo, and the return leg against the Croatians in Split.

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The void does not arise from the injury; Marcos Llorente announced on September 3 his retirement from the national team after winning the World Cup, ending his spell with 27 caps.

With Llorente's retirement, La Roja had only Porro as a pure right‑back in the squad, leaving Luis de la Fuente without clear alternatives.

The names still available for that position are Eric García and Marc Pubill, two centrally‑profiled players who can adapt to the right side, but they only serve as a stop‑gap for one match, not as a solution for four games in less than two weeks.

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The format of this edition is more demanding, with twice as many matches as a typical September window, and Porro arrived as an undisputed starter, World Cup champion and member of the tournament's best eleven, so his absence cannot be covered merely by a tactical reshuffle. Tottenham still has to carry out tests to assess the injury, a timeline the national team could not wait for; the federation removed him from the squad on the same Saturday.