Spain boss Luis de la Fuente 'handed' major Euro 2024 injury blow

The 30-year-old is yet to be officially ruled out of the contest, but he was reportedly unable to train on Thursday, having suffered muscular discomfort.

According to EFE, Laporte instead underwent 'specific recovery work' with a trainer, with head coach Luis de la Fuente now preparing to monitor his progress over the next 24 hours or so.

The Al-Nassr centre-back is not expected to be available for Spain's Group B opener, with La Roja handed a major injury blow ahead of their first match at the competition.

Laporte 'set to miss Spain's clash with Croatia'

Laporte has been capped on 29 occasions by Spain, and the defender is regarded as a starter by De la Fuente despite the fact that he swapped European football for Saudi Arabia in August 2023.

The centre-back made 39 appearances for his Saudi Pro League outfit during the 2023-24 campaign, and he was a key player for Spain during their Euro 2024 qualification campaign.

Laporte has also featured in three of Spain's last four friendlies, including 37 minutes of the 5-1 victory over Northern Ireland on June 8.

The muscular problem is not thought to be serious, though, so he could return against Italy on June 20, with that clash coming four days before Spain's final group fixture with Albania.

De la Fuente will not take any risks when it comes to Laporte's fitness, and his likely absence from the XI against Croatia will open the door for another player to stake a claim.

Nacho likely to start against Croatia

Spain's starting centre-backs against Croatia are now expected to be Robin Le Normand and Nacho, with the latter enjoying an impressive 2023-24 campaign for Real Madrid.

The 34-year-old made 45 appearances for Los Blancos last season, benefitting from the team's injury problems, and he is now in line to make his 26th appearance for Spain.

Nacho, who was not involved in his country's Euro 2024 qualification campaign, played 53 minutes of La Roja's clash with Northern Ireland last time out.

Dani Vivian of Athletic Bilbao is the other centre-back option in the squad, with Barcelona's teenage star Pau Cubarsi somewhat surprisingly being overlooked for a spot in the final selection.