Carlos Espí is in the Spain squad because Ferran Torres's left ankle gave out.
The story being sold is that a 21-year-old has shoved a World Cup winner aside. That overstates it considerably. Torres withdrew with ankle pain, a call Spain's doctors and PSG's medical staff made together to protect his recovery, and it ruled him out of the Nations League games against Czechia and Croatia. Espí just happened to be the hottest name on the continent that week: five goals and two assists in Spain Under-21's 13-0 win over San Marino, a European U21 qualifier. Luis de la Fuente needed a forward in a hurry and reached for the one who couldn't stop scoring. It was sensible and low-risk, about as close to a free hit as a national-team manager gets.
It's still San Marino. Five goals against a side that ships thirteen just tells you Espí finishes what he's given. He still has to prove he's ready to lead the line for the world champions and actually replace Torres. The senior answer is being written this week: Spain's game in Oviedo comes first, then Croatia.
José Mourinho is the one who should be under scrutiny.
If Espí is good enough for de la Fuente's senior squad, he's good enough for more than scraps at Real Madrid. Since arriving from Levante this summer, where Madrid paid his €25 million release clause, he's scored twice off the bench in his opening LaLiga games, and those late goals against Espanyol and Elche were directly worth four points. For that he's been handed roughly 25 minutes across a handful of appearances this season. A forward who scores the moment he walks on and then sits down is being wasted.
Madrid signed him as cover for Gonzalo García, who left for Fulham for close to €70 million. Cover makes sense, but burying a finisher who delivers whenever he's trusted is a mistake, especially while the club leans on patched-together options up top.
Espí hasn't proven he can start for this team across a season, and 25 minutes of brilliance isn't a body of work. You settle that by starting him against someone who isn't San Marino and seeing what's there.
De la Fuente did the easy, correct thing. Mourinho should stop treating a Spain international like an emergency flare and give him a shirt, or admit he doesn't rate him and let everyone draw the obvious conclusion.
