Madrid, May 18 (IANS) Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has suffered a major setback ahead of naming his World Cup squad after FC Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez was ruled out of the tournament with a broken foot.

Lopez fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during the 3-1 win against Real Betis on Sunday. The Spanish champions announced that Lopez will have surgery, but did not give a timeframe for his return.

“Fermin Lopez suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in the game against Betis. The player will undergo surgery,” read a Barcelona statement Monday.

Lopez was substituted at halftime of Barcelona’s 3-1 home win over Real Betis on Sunday, with the club confirming the extent of the injury a day later.

Spain will open their FIFA World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on June 15, before facing Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Uruguay six days later, leaving the 23-year-old with no chance of recovering in time for the tournament.

Lopez has made seven appearances for Spain and had appeared certain to be included in De la Fuente’s 26-man squad.

Lopez has become a regular for Barcelona over the past two seasons, helping the Catalans win back-to-back La Liga titles. The midfielder scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions this season despite twice suffering groin injuries.

The World Cup would have been Lopez’s second major international tournament after he featured for 28 minutes of Spain’s successful Euro 2024 campaign.

The injury adds to Spain’s growing fitness concerns ahead of the tournament. De la Fuente said last week he was prepared to wait for Athletic Club winger Nico Williams to recover from a hamstring injury, saying that even if Williams missed the opening game, he could return for the second match of the group stage.

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal is also racing to recover from a torn hamstring, while Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino remains doubtful after having undergone surgery on a foot injury earlier this year.

–IANS

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