Spain boss Luis de la Fuente was full of praise for Marc Bernal after handing the Barcelona midfielder his senior international debut in a friendly against Iraq on Thursday.

Bernal isn’t part of Spain’s World Cup 2026 squad but is part of the training camp and was praised by his manager before the game.

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De la Fuente then spoke again about Bernal afterwards and made it clear he’s in his future plans.

“Marc has continued to demonstrate his quality. Very young and with a lot of personality, he has the vision for that important position for us, number 6,” he told reporters.

“He has many things to improve, like so many young players. But with his potential, he has enormous room for improvement. He can be a very important player in the future.”

The Spain boss also spoke about the game itself and was happy with the run-out for his players.

“We aimed to focus more on conditioning and physical conditioning, to help the players adapt. It was a day to assess their form and give other players a chance,” he added.

“There were no injuries. Now we’re entering a more demanding and intense phase, with players who will contribute. Tomorrow we’re in the United States, and that puts our focus squarely on the game.”

The team are now due to jet out across the Atlantic for the tournament but will take on Peru next in a friendly before their first group game against Cape Verde.