AS: Spain Consider Calling Up Fresneda After Llorente Leaves National Team

According to AS, Sporting CP right-back Ivan Fresneda has rediscovered the excellent form he showed last season and has begun pushing for a place in Spain's senior national team. Roma previously made a €30 million offer for him, while Arsenal have also shown interest.

In the fifth round of the Portuguese league, Sporting CP defeated Nacional da Madeira 2-0. Rui Borges' team displayed excellent form in the match, with Fresneda standing out as he regained the rhythm he had during last season's impressive performances. The Spanish full-back delivered a very solid display, winning eight duels and not being successfully dribbled past by an opponent even once. In attack, Fresneda was also active with forward runs, and in the 75th minute he came close to scoring, but Renato Marin's save denied him. After this match, Sporting CP moved to 13 points in the standings, two points behind leaders Porto.

Since returning to the starting lineup, Fresneda has started three consecutive matches, and Sporting CP's defensive record has improved significantly. The team has conceded only one goal in their last three matches, while in the previous two games when Fresneda was not in the starting XI, they conceded four goals in total. Portuguese media have also highlighted Sporting CP's defensive improvement after Fresneda's return, while the defender himself has once again shown his best form.

Fresneda's start to this season has been somewhat unusual. He had already recovered from the injury that caused him to miss the final stage of last season, but in the first two matches of the new campaign, he played only 17 minutes.

Shortly before this, AS reported that Sporting CP had rejected Roma's €30 million offer for Fresneda, and there were also reports at the time that Premier League clubs were interested in him. In fact, according to reports, Fresneda was one of the players Arsenal had assessed as they looked to strengthen their right-back position. Andrea Berta, who is now Arsenal's sporting director, had previously been interested in Fresneda while holding the same role at Atletico Madrid.

Sporting CP have consistently been unwilling to accept offers from other clubs for Fresneda. Rui Borges spoke about him at the pre-match press conference before facing Nacional da Madeira, saying: "Although he is only 21 years old, he is already very mature and is also a very important voice within the team."

Now, Fresneda hopes at least to replicate his excellent performances from last season, when his displays in the Champions League were also very important.

With Spain's U21 national team, Fresneda has always been an undisputed starter. AS has previously reported several times that his name has entered consideration for Spain's senior national team. Now, with Llorente leaving the national team setup, a vacancy has opened at right-back, and Fresneda has an opportunity to join the senior squad and become one of the options for the position alongside Pedro Porro. So far, Fresneda has made 13 Champions League appearances and four Europa League appearances, totaling 1,278 minutes in European competitions. After representing Spain at U18, U19 and U21 levels, the right-back has now officially begun his push for a place in the senior national team.