CRISTHIAN MOSQUERA has received his first senior call-up to the Spain national team.
The Arsenal defender has impressed for Mikel Arteta‘s side since joining for £13million from Valencia last summer.
Mosquera, who has made 14 appearances for the Spain Under-21s, is part of head coach Luis de la Fuente’s 27-man squad ahead of matches against Serbia and Egypt.
But the 21-year-old, who also holds a Colombian passport, could still switch allegiance ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
Spain have a plethora of centre-back options, including Atletico Madrid‘s Robin Le Normand, Barcelona‘s Pau Cubarsi and Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen.
To guarantee a starting spot at the World Cup, Mosquera could opt to represent Colombia.
In a press conference during his squad announcement, De la Fuente said: “Mosquera is committed, the Under-21 captain, who wants to play for Spain. He is having a good season with Arsenal.”
Mosquera was born in Alicante, Spain, to Colombian parents.
In October, when asked about the idea of switching his allegiance to Colombia, Mosquera told The Athletic: “When I was 14 or 15, Spain contacted me. At that time, I don’t remember having any conversations with Colombia.
“For now, I’ve continued my normal process with Spain. But I’m not closing any doors on anyone. I try to carry on with my day-to-day life at my club and let the doors open when they need to open.”
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There are three more debutants in de la Fuente’s squad, including Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia, Real Sociedad attacker Ander Barrenetxea and Osasuna winger Victor Munoz.
Tottenham’s Pedro Porro, Chelsea‘s Marc Cucurella, Man City’s Rodri and Crystal Palace‘s Yeremy Pino are the other Premier League stars included.
