Alvaro Morata has wished his Spanish teammates good luck at the World Cup after being left out of the 23-man squad that will travel to Russia this summer.
The Chelsea striker, who was his nation's joint top scorer in qualifying, has been in miserable form since the turn of the year for his club, scoring just one goal in the Premier League.
He has been usurped in Antonio Conte's pecking order by January recruit Olivier Giroud and there are growing rumours linking him with a return to Juventus.
Despite a lack of out-and-out centre-forwards to choose from, Morata's struggles and lack of pitch time saw Julen Lopetegui leave him out of the squad.
Reacting to the news on Twitter, Morata wrote: 'Lots of luck in the World Cup. I will be supporting and encouraging to the end as always!'
Morata was once again on the bench for Chelsea's FA Cup victory over Manchester United on Saturday, though Conte had argued for his inclusion in Lopetegui's squad after the game.
'Alvaro is an important player,' said the former Italy manager.
'It's not my task, because in my past I did this job with the national team, but for sure for the World Cup, Morata is right to stay in the group of 23 players.
'I'm the first to put my hands in the fire for this because I repeat I'm seeing him every day and after this tough season Morata has for sure improved a lot after this season in England.'
Morata is not the only notable absentee from the Spain squad, with Chelsea teammates Marcos Alonso, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro also not on the plane, while Hector Bellerin, Ander Herrera and Javi Martinez also miss out.
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