De la Fuente: Pedri living up to Spain´s lofty expectations

Pedri is living up to the lofty expectations set by Spain’s national team, so says coach Luis de la Fuente.

The Barcelona youngster netted twice in Spain’s 5-1 demolition of Northern Ireland in their final pre-tournament friendly ahead of Euro 2024.

Pedri has struggled with injury this season, featuring just 16 times in LaLiga for Barca, but is back in form for the tournament.

And De la Fuente, whose team have won three of their last five games, has been hugely impressed by the midfielder.

“We have been very happy and because he is a very good player and he knows that I have confidence in him and he is going to give us very good things in this competition,” De la Fuente told reporters.

“I have always talked about it from the point of view of the confidence he has to have. I said that ‘Pedri has to meet Pedri’, in the figurative sense of gaining confidence.

¡¡#ESP #NIR | 5-1 | 90+2’#VamosEspaña | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/W8uFJhM80J

— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) June 8, 2024

“The best version of Pedri we don’t know where he is, because he’s so good. We expect so much from him that it’s infinite.

“It has to be the player who takes that step forward, as he has done, to be sure and confident to do the things that only he can do.”

Spain will take on Albania, Croatia and holders Italy in their Euro 2024 group.