Diego Llorente second Spain player to test positive for COVID-19 ahead of Euro 2020

Spain defender Diego Llorente on Tuesday became the second player from the country’s Euro 2020 squad to test positive for Covid-19 after captain Sergio Busquets, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced.

“The RFEF regrets to announce that central defender Diego Llorente has tested positive in the latest PCR tests carried out this morning at the national team base at Las Rozas,” the federation said in a statement.

Llorente, who plays for Leeds United in England’s Premier League, has left the squad as did Busquets following his positive test on Sunday.

The delayed European Championship gets underway on Friday.

Spain open their Euro campaign in Group E against Sweden in Seville on Monday although their entire Euro squad has been in isolation since Busquets’ positive test.

The Under-21 team thumped Lithuania 4-0 on Tuesday evening in what was supposed to be Spain’s final warm-up match ahead of the Euro.

The Swedes have also been affected by the virus, announcing on Tuesday positive tests for Dejan Kulusevski and Mattias Svanberg.

On Monday and Tuesday, six reserves were called up by Spain coach Luis Enrique to train in case new positive tests arise: Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Raul Albiol from Villarreal, Leeds striker Rodrigo Moreno, and midfielders Pablo Fornals (West Ham), Carlos Soler (Valencia) and Brais Mendez (Celta Vigo). 

The RFEF said those six players have been placed in a “parallel bubble” and will continue to train on Wednesday at Spain’s base camp in Las Rozas, a suburb of Madrid.

Spain’s sports minister Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes said that the Spain squad would be vaccinated on Wednesday.

The country’s national team are also scheduled to play Poland and Slovakia in Group E, with all their group stage matches being held at the Cartuja stadium in Seville in southern Spain.