Spain hopes COVID infected Busquets, Llorente will be back for Euros
Spain hopes captain Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente will still have an impact on the European Championship after both players tested positive for the coronavirus.
Llorente’s positive test on Tuesday may have been erroneous after further tests came back negative, coach Luis Enrique said on Thursday. The Leeds defender will undergo more tests on Thursday and Friday. If he clears those, the team said in a statement he can return to the squad before Spain's first match on Monday against Sweden.
Spain’s preparations were thrown off after Busquets tested positive last Sunday. Players who test positive must stay in isolation for at least 10 days, meaning Busquets would miss the opener against Sweden.
Luis Enrique said of the Barcelona midfielder that “we are going to wait for him.”
“The good thing is that he has time on his side. Busquets will be on the squad, no doubt,” Luis Enrique said. “Busquets is fine, without symptoms, so he can train and stay in shape. We hope that it can all end up in a scare.”
In Group E, Spain also plays Poland on June 19 and Slovakia on June 23 in Seville.
The rest of Spain’s players have passed daily coronavirus tests. Even so, Luis Enrique called up extra players and created two separate sides to reduce the chances that an outbreak could leave him without a team.
