Madrid, July 7 (IANS) Spain’s Olympic coach Luis Milla confirmed that Real Sociedad midfielder Asier Illarramendi will replace injured Barcelona player Thiago Alcantara in the Olympic Games.
Thiago hurt his right tibia in the King’s Cup final against Athletic Bilbao in May, in which Barcelona won 3-0, reports Xinhua.
In a statement, Barcelona said doctors have determined Thiago needs several more weeks to fully recover, ruling him out of the Olympics that start July 27.
Spain’s Olympic squad will feature three players from the European champions — Juan Mata, Jordi Alba and Javi Martinez.
Milla will reduce his 22-man squad to 18 before travelling to London Games, where the Spanish side is grouped with Honduras, Morocco and Japan.
