Benfica defender Alex Grimaldo has been forced to pull out of the Spain Under-21s squad for the 2017 Under-21 European Championships after suffering a thigh injury during a training session.

In an official statement, Spain revealed that the full-back suffered 'a rupture of the anterior rectus in his left thigh', which has ruled the highly-rated defender out of the competition in Poland.

As a result, Villarreal midfielder Rodri Hernandez has been handed a call-up to the Under-21 outfit.

Albert Celades's team will open their Under-21 European Championship campaign with a Group B clash against Macedonia Under-21s on Saturday night.

Spain Under-21s are four-time winners of the European Championships, but they failed to make it to the 2015 finals after losing out in the qualification playoffs.