Hierro confirms that he will start with De Gea

Hierro has already decided how the Spanish national side will line up on Wednesday against Iran, despite De Gea's difficult game against Portugal. At a press conference in Krasnodar, the Spaniard said: ''The decision is clear in my head and I have already made it.''

He said: ''I see David as being very calm and he has all our confidence in full. Players need confidence and support at all times and my decision [that he will play] is very clear. I will be fair with every player.

''The difficulty is in the psychology, and I see that his reaction is a natural one. He has already gone through difficult situations, nobody has handed him anything and we are going to be the fairest possible.''

''Sometimes they just need their time and space, not everything needs to be action-reaction. "The squad has had a day off and that helped David relax and step away, because we are more interested with natural methods in our preparations, making sure we get our heads right."