Alonso relishing international opportunity

Despite being included in the Spain squad for upcoming matches against Wales and England, Alonso is not taking his international place for granted and is willing to play out of position if required.

"I arrived for the first time for the friendly against Argentina, before the World Cup, and now I'm back with Luis Enrique," Alonso added. "But we all know that to be involved you need to maintain your best for your club to be in the coach's plans.

"What drives me now is to have some continuity, because this is now my second consecutive call-up. In addition to that, the games in September went well and were accompanied with good results. That also helps.

"I've always played as a left-back, except on some occasions in Italy for Fiorentina where they put me on the other side. But my natural fit is on the left. If I have to play on the right because the team needs it, I could do that. But, of course, it's not my place."

Spain take on Wales in a friendly on Friday before hosting England in the Nations League on Monday.

October 4, 2018