Huijsen sidelined by muscle injury, Laporte called up to replace him

Real Madrid centreback Dean Huijsen has been withdrawn from Spain's squad for this month's World Cup qualifying matches against Georgia and Bulgaria after medical tests identified a muscle injury, the Spanish Football Federation and the club said on Wednesday. Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has been called up as Huijsen's replacement.

The 20 year old returned to Spain's training camp in Elche on Monday evening reporting muscle fatigue and did not take part in Tuesday's session. When his condition failed to improve, Real Madrid were notified and additional examinations on Wednesday morning confirmed a muscle injury in the soleus muscle of his left leg, the club said. "Following tests carried out today on our player Dean Huijsen, assessed by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the soleus muscle of his left leg. The outcome is pending," the club added.

The federation formally released Huijsen from the squad and announced that Laporte, who last played for Spain in November 2024, will rejoin the national team for the qualifiers. Spain will host Georgia in Elche before facing Bulgaria in Valladolid as they seek to consolidate their...