Spain have moved quickly to fill the gap at the national team coaching position by announcing Luis de la Fuente as their new manager.
Earlier on Thursday it was confirmed that Luis Enrique would not be continuing as Spain manager, following their World Cup exit at the hands of Morocco. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) stated the need for a new project.
De la Fuente wins a second promotion through the coaching system, having previously taken charge of the under-19 side, and currently being in charge of the under-21 side. He won the 2015 Euros with the former and repeated the feat in 2019 with the under-21s. Last summer he took the Spanish Olympic team to the silver medal in Tokyo.
He will be presented at 12:30 CEST on Monday as the manager, although it was not announced how long his contract would last. His first matches will be against Norway and Scotland in the Euros qualification phase in March.
The former Athletic player will be a controversial choice for some. Outside of the Spanish youth categories, he has had little experience in senior football, the closest he has come being a brief stint at Alaves in 2011 while they were in the third division.
Working in his favour is an existing relationship with the majority of the squad, who de la Fuente will have already coached. While it was stated that Spain need a ‘new project’, de la Fuente is closer to Luis Enrique in style than the likes of Marcelino Garcia Toral, who was also linked with the position.
