Diego Llorente isn’t having the start to life he’ll have planned for at Leeds United and the situation is likely to soon have an impact on his international chances.
Having shown faith in the defender, Luis Enrique continued to do so for recent squads, but then the Leeds player was injured whilst away with the Spain national team, and it’s all seen a very slow start at his new club.
So far this season, Llorente has played just 81 minutes for Marcelo Bielsa’s club, making his debut in the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea last weekend. He’s now thought to be struggling with injury again, and Bielsa has made it clear the Spaniard won’t be starting against West Ham on Friday evening.
This all puts his Spain future in doubt, with Super Deporte reporting Gabriel Paulista, who plays for their local club and has recently acquired a Spanish passport, could replace him.
Along with Athletic Club Bilbao’s Inigo Martinez, Llorente has been seen as the fourth choice for Enrique, and it’s that position Gabriel is likeliest to take.
With a lack of minutes at Leeds, the former Real Sociedad man is ‘far from his best version’, and is seeing his Spain hopes slip away.
