A Serie A star chooses to call up for Senegal over Spain.

Assane Diao will not be in Spain's squad for their quarterfinal matchup with the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League, which is announced by manager Luis de la Fuente on Friday. La Roja had their eye on the gifted winger, who transferred from Real Betis to Como during the winter transfer window, but they were unable to sign him.

Senegal has reportedly been considering requesting Diao to change allegiance in recent weeks. The 19-year-old has made a decision after considering his international future. Since transferring to Como, he has scored five goals in ten games.

Senegal has Diao in their squad for forthcoming games against Sudan and Togo, which is bad news for Spain. According to Marca, this indicates that he has made the decision to represent his natal country internationally.

According to the source, Diao was supposed to be part of the U21 squad and not be called up by de la Fuente for this month's matches against the Netherlands. Since there was no obvious path for him to enter the senior setup, this might have played a role in his decision to defect to Spain.

Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Ferran Torres, Yeremy Pino, and other gifted wingers are among Spain's many talent assets. Diao would have surely been a player for La Roja in the upcoming years, but this has worked against him.

It will be fascinating to observe Diao's progress with Senegal and whether Spain will regret not acquiring him. Prior to considering making his senior international debut in the encounter against Sudan, the former Betis winger will be concentrating on Como's final game before the international break.

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