Luis de la Fuente's Challenge for Dani Carvajal Ahead of World Cup
Luis de la Fuente has left the World Cup door ajar for Dani Carvajal – but the Spain coach has made it clear the veteran defender will have to fight his way through it.
The 34-year-old right back, currently sidelined with a foot problem picked up in training with Real Madrid last week, remains in contention for a place on the plane to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Time, though, is running out.
“Carvajal is a very important figure in our dressing room,” De la Fuente said on Wednesday, underlining the weight the defender still carries within the national setup.
The coach revealed he had spoken to Carvajal on Tuesday and played down fears of a major setback. There is no specific, serious injury, but there is a clear obstacle: rhythm. Carvajal needs minutes, sharpness, evidence that he can still hit his old level before Spain’s squad is locked in.
“We’ll see in the remaining matches whether he truly gets the opportunity and delivers the performances,” De la Fuente said, placing the challenge squarely on the player’s shoulders.
This is not just about recovery. It is about a player trying to reassert himself at the end of a difficult club season. Carvajal has struggled for game time at Real Madrid, squeezed by competition from Trent Alexander-Arnold, and he is also approaching the final weeks of his contract. The security he once enjoyed at the Bernabéu has faded; now even his place with Spain is no longer guaranteed.
He has featured just once for the national team in 2025. For a player who once seemed a permanent fixture on the right side of Spain’s defence, that statistic tells its own story.
De la Fuente insisted Carvajal would understand if he is ultimately left out of the World Cup squad. That acceptance, if it comes, would be tinged with the reality of a changing Spain, one increasingly shaped by a new generation and, for the moment, by injuries.
Carvajal joins a growing list of players hit by fitness problems in the weeks leading up to the tournament, with Spanish teammate Lamine Yamal among those also battling to be ready. Every training session now feels like a gamble; every medical update, a small jolt to the coach’s plans.
World Cup Schedule
Spain open their World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on June 15 and will also face Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H. On paper, it is a group that offers room to build momentum. In practice, De la Fuente must first decide whether one of his most experienced voices will be there to help shape it from the pitch, or watch it unfold from afar.
