Spain have withdrawn Nico Williams from camp after medical tests on 2 October confirmed he could not continue because of persistent left-thigh discomfort. Spain said he did not take part in Thursday's training session before being pulled out, and he will now continue his treatment and recovery under the supervision of Athletic Club.
Spain's squad for the next two fixtures
Luis de la Fuente is already working with a thinner group than he wanted. Spain's camp had earlier been hit by Pedro Porro's absence, Eric Garcia's injury in the warm-up before the match against England, and Alejandro Grimaldo's problem in the warm-up before the Croatia game, with Nico now the fourth absence.
The immediate test is the home match against the Czech Republic on 3 October, then the trip to Croatia on 6 October. Spain have won their last 2 UEFA Nations League matches and scored 7 goals across those games, so the football itself has not slowed down. The problem is that another attacking option has now dropped out before back-to-back fixtures.
Athletic Club's recovery window
Estadio Deportivo said Nico could be out for around a month after tests showed a moderate muscle injury in the left rectus femoris, but Spain's own statement stops at the recovery process. That leaves the timeline open for now, beyond the fact that Athletic Club will handle the treatment once he leaves international duty.
Nico had started the current campaign in full flow with Athletic Club, featuring in all six LaLiga matchdays and starting four of them. His next job is recovery, not another Spain appearance, and the national side will try to get through the Czech Republic and Croatia matches without him.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
