Julen Lopetegui insists he isn’t going to make a decision on Iker Casillas or any Spain player so soon into his tenure.
Lopetegui was on Thursday confirmed as Vicente del Bosque’s successor and the future of captain Casillas is one of the items highest on his agenda, after the veteran was dropped by Del Bosque for Euro 2016.
“It’s not the time to talk about names individually. I understand everyone has the right to ask, but I have no answer now because I just got here and I have to make other decisions first, analyse things and when the time comes, decide if we count on Casillas or one of his teammates,” the trainer told Mundo Deportivo.
“We’ll take the decision when the time comes, we’re not going to anticipate anything or put any kind of wall or obstacle in front of ourselves.
“It’s true I have a good knowledge of the young players because a lot of them were with me [in the Under-21s or below], a lot of them are settled in the seniors but that doesn’t guarantee anything to anyone, the same as it doesn’t guarantee anything to the players who have taken Spanish football to the highest point in its history.
“We’re extremely proud of them and grateful but football is about the present, that’s what counts and the rest is to be admired, to be thankful for and to be put in history and in museums.
“The modern game requires your current performance and that’s where we will measure players, those who are there now, the ones who are coming up and the ones who are still to come.”
