Mata: Villa deserves chance

Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata said Spain boss Vicente del Bosque should give David Villa every chance to prove his fitness for Euro 2012.

Villa has been out of action since fracturing his tibia in the Club World Cup in December but there are rumours circling that he could make his comeback in Friday’s Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.

Del Bosque, who is to name his final squad on May 27, has previously stated that he will not make a call on Spain’s record goalscorer until the last minute, and Mata fully supports that stance.

“If there’s a player that our national team should wait for to recover, that is David Villa,” the winger told reporters on Monday.

Mata added Blues team-mate Fernando Torres also deserves to travel to Poland and Ukraine, even though the striker has been forced to play second fiddle to Didier Drogba for most of the year.

“He had a very tough season, one in which he has played less minutes than usual,” the former Valencia starlet said.

“But he’s finishing much better, with the Champions League win and the call-up for Spain.”

Mata is certain to feature at Euro 2012 after a fine debut season in England, and admitted he has savoured the competitiveness of the Premier League.

“You find more teams with a chance of winning the title, while in Spain, if you don’t play for Barcelona or Real Madrid, it’s almost impossible to succeed,” the 24-year-old said.

Mata’s Spain have drawn Italy, Republic of Ireland and Croatia in their Euro 2012 group.