Door not closed on Raul, insists Spain coach

Spain's new coach Vicente del Bosque insisted Sunday that the door is not closed on out-of-favour international Raul.

The 30-year-old Real Madrid striker, the leading all-time scorer for the national side with 44 goals, was sidelined under previous coach Luis Aragones and has not played since September 2006.

“I don't see Raul as a problem. He isn't one of my protegees nor is he plague-ridden,” said former Real Madrid coach del Bosque.

“He could perfectly be called up. If he deserves it, he will be.”

Del Bosque is expected to annouce his squad for a friendly against Denmark on August 20, before the first qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup against Bosnia and Estonia in September.

“We can aspire to be world champions, we have a generation of winners,” del Bosque added of the team that were recently crowned European champions.