Spain’s Under-21 squad looks to have lost Sergio Canales for the rest of the UEFA Under-21 Championship to injury.
The attacking midfielder was a second half substitute for La Rojita in their 1-0 win over Russia yesterday, but suffered an injury in the closing stages suspected to be a hamstring strain.
Initial tests have confirmed this fear and the player has now left the Under-21s’ training camp to return to Valencia, where he will undergo a more clinical ultrasound on the injury on Saturday.
The 22-year-old returned to playing action this midseason with Valencia, after recovering from a second consecutive knee ligament injury, but has suffered a number of minor muscle-related injuries since.
The latest of these was a hamstring strain picked up at the start of May.
UEFA regulations stipulate that Spain cannot replace Canales' place in the squad at the tournament.