Saez omits Mallorca duo

Reial Mallorca players Miguel Angel Nadal and Albert Luque have both been dropped from the national team after new coach Iñaki Saez announced his first Spain squad for a friendly against Hungary next week. Defender Nadal's omission is no great surprise, he has just turned 36 and is in the twilight of his career after recently competing in his third World Cup. Striker Luque, however, was expecting to be picked after former manager Jose Antonio Camacho included him in the squad for South Korea and Japan and because Deportivo's Diego Tristan is still recovering from injury. Saez instead selected Espanyol's Raul Tamudo alongside Real Madrid's Raul and Fernando Morientes in an 18-man squad featuring just three strikers. Mallorca club president Mateu Alemany resisted speculation on why the two players had been dropped, but chose instead to praise Julian Robles and Albert Riera for their selection to the under-21 team. “If we have no one called up to the national team then there is nothing to say, however, we are very satisfied that Robles and Riera have both been called up to the under-21 side.” The duo will feature against Hungary under-21s in Budapest on August 20. Luque, meanwhile, may make his long awaited switch to Deportivo de La Coruña this week after reports suggest a 15 million euro bid is in the pipeline. The Barcelona-born 24 year-old has been tipped for a move to Depor all summer and it looks like a deal will eventually be finalised this week. There are rumours of Depor's Argentine striker “Turu” Flores moving to Son Moix as part exchange, as well as suggestions that Luque will be loaned back to Mallorca for the coming season. If neither of the above materialise then some of the cash raised from the deal will go on a bid for classy Las Palmas midfielder Jorge Larena, after Alemany ruled out a move for a central defender as cover after new signing Federico Lussenhoff fractured his leg in a friendly match against Real Betis on Monday night.