Spain head coach Jorge Vilda has named his preliminary squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup which is set to take place in Australia and New Zealand next month.
The national side has been in disarray over the last several months after a group of 15 senior internationals, including two Manchester United and two Manchester City players, announced their resignation and refusal to play under the current leadership. However, reports from last month suggest all but four of the initial fifteen sent emails to the federation declaring their availability following a reconciliation process.
United's Ona Batlle and Lucia Garcia were among the 15 players to voice their concerns, although only Batlle is featured in the preliminary squad. City's Laia Aleixandri and Leila Ouahabi were also part of 'Las 15' and neither have been named in Vilda's 30-player line-up.
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Spain and Barcelona superstar Alexia Putellas, who has been sidelined for a year with an ACL injury, has been included in the squad following her return to the pitch in the latter stages of the season. She wasn't part of the 15, but reports suggest she shared their concerns.
Mapi Leon, Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina of Barcelona, as well as Lola Gallardo of Atletico Madrid, are some of the other big names missing from the squad. It has been reported they did not make themselves available to Vilda.
The head coach will need to cut his squad down to just 23 players before they begin their World Cup campaign on July 21 with their opening group stage match against Costa Rica. They will also face Zambia and Japan with an eye on reaching the knockout stages of the competition.
Spain's provisional 30-player squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Cata Coll, Elene Lete, Misa Rodriguez, Enith Salon
Defenders: Ivana Andres, Ona Batlle, Olga Carmona, Laia Codina, Jana Fernandez, Rocio Galvez, Sheila Garcia, Oihane Hernandez, Irene Paredes
Midfielders: Tere Abelleira, Fiamma Benitez, Aitana Bonmati, Irene Guerrero, Jenni Hermoso, Maite Oroz, Maria Perez, Alexia Putellas, Claudia Zornoza
Forwards: Mariona Caldentey, Marta Cardona, Athenea del Castillo, Inma Gabarro, Esther Gonzalez, Eva Navarro, Salma Paralluelo, Alba Redondo
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