Barcelona captain has a chance to become a regular with Spain national team

Barcelona captain has a chance to become a regular with Spain national team Eric Garcia was one of the surprise inclusions in Luis de La Fuente’s squad for the FIFA World Cup, and proved his utility coming off the bench and making a strong statement performance in the final against Argentina. His prominence in the competition was not massive, but Garcia has always shown himself to be one to fight for his spot . Now, however, the situation appears to have changed as reported by SPORT , and the Barcelona defender now sees a real chance of establishing himself as a regular starter for his country. An untimely retirement At the FIFA World Cup, two players stood out as Luis de La Fuente’s top options to play at right-back – Pedro Porro and Marcos Llorente. Eric Garcia can replace Marcos Llorente. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) The latter, however, has announced a shocking premature retirement from the national team as of this week and will no longer be playing a part for La Roja . Needless to say, the development leaves Eric Garcia in a strong position to serve as Spain’s backup or even starting right-back in the times to come, especially given his doubled utility even as a centre-back. Not much competition As matters stand, the competition for the right-back position in the Spanish national team is not very convincing despite the nation’s rich mines of talent. Garcia is one of Barcelona’s captains. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images) Dani Carvajal, who served as a starter for decades, has been phased out of Spain’s dynamics and remains without a club after leaving Real Madrid. Jesus Navas, another veteran option, has also retired and is no longer in the loop. Oscar Mingueza, a former La Masia graduate, has had his chances to impress but has not generated much consensus while Ivan Fresneda, another young talent, has not yet entered De La Fuente’s dynamics. The time, thus, is right for Eric Garcia to pounce on the void and establish himself as a high-quality option. After all, Hansi Flick is counting on him as a first-choice right-back this season and he has also entered the captaincy ranks with Barcelona. If he can keep up his form for the Catalans in the weeks to come, he could well have his chance to impress with La Roja as early as the next international break.