Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea was injured in training for the Spanish national team and thus missed the round of 16 match against Croatia.
Before the match, De Gea also participated in training in Spain and practiced penalty shootouts, which were cancelled by the British media because he failed to save Villarreal's 11 penalties in the Europa League final, and eventually conceded penalties, resulting in Manchester United not winning the title.
To make matters worse, De Gea was injured in training the day before the match and withdrew from training early. De Gea's injury is believed to be his thigh, and the video shows him leaving along the sideline with the Spanish team doctor and returning to the dressing room for treatment.
At this European Championship, De Gea has not yet played, and has been playing a substitute role for Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon. Injuries brought him back to Enrique's starting line-up and dashed hopes of playing Croatia.
De Gea was also the second United goalkeeper to be injured at the European Championship, with Dean Henderson forced to retire from england before the European Championship due to a hip injury, replaced by Sheffield United's Ramsdale. This could have an impact on United's upcoming pre-season training camps.
However, in the quarter-finals of the European Championship, De Gea and Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez both appeared on the bench in Spain's battle against Croatia, which means that his injuries are not serious.
The statement on United's official website also said: "There are indications that David (De Gea) is slightly injured and that Spain will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals of the European Cup after qualifying."
It is worth mentioning that although Spain successfully beat Croatia to qualify, the 5-3 score undoubtedly meant the defeat of goalkeeper Simon, especially his super mistake, which leaked the return pass of his teammates into his own goal. After the match, he was given the lowest score in the game, and Enrique may reconsider his main goalkeeper choice.
Therefore, De Gea, wearing the No. 1 jersey of the national team, still has the opportunity to compete with Simon in the next round of knockout matches, try to counterattack, and regain the main position of the Spanish team.