Alena and Cucurella fail to make Spain U21's final squad Barcelona De la Fuente had to cut two players

Luis de la Fuente has opted to leave out Carles Alena and Marc Cucurella from his 23-man squad list for the European Under-21 Championship this summer.

Cucurella had initially replaced Brahim Diaz, who had to withdraw due to a muscle injury, while Alena has made just one previous appearance for the U21s.

The tournament, which will take place in Italy and San Marino, will see Spain travel as favourites, with the likes of Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, Jesus Vallejo and Dani Ceballos all included in the final squad.

Alena and Cucurella, who were both born in 1998 in Barcelona, will still be eligible to play in the next European Under-21 Championship in 2021.