Barcelona

Sergi Roberto eyes return to Spain set-up

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 31 July 2018

Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto hopes that he will now be able to secure a return to the Spain set-up following the appointment of Luis Enrique as head coach.

Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto is hopeful that he will now be able to secure a return to the Spain set-up following the appointment of Luis Enrique as head coach of the national team.

Roberto was somewhat surprisingly left out of the Spain squad for the 2018 World Cup, despite another impressive campaign for Barcelona.

The 26-year-old was a regular under Enrique during their time together at Camp Nou, however, and is now targeting a return to La Roja ahead of the UEFA Nations League, which gets underway in September.

"Honestly, I thought I was going to get called up," ESPN quotes Roberto as saying. "I wasn't, so that gave me a good chance to have a longer holiday - I was able to watch [the World Cup] on television.

"I have always said that Luis Enrique has been very important in my career, both with Barca B and the first team.

"It's true he's now the Spain coach but I am just focused on giving my best and, if in the end I get the call from Luis, I'll be really happy, but that depends on how I play for Barca."

Roberto has made over 200 first-team appearances for Barcelona since debuting in 2010.