Why Luis de la Fuente made surprise decision to call up warrior striker Roberto Fernandez

In Spain's squad for this first round of the Nations League, almost all the players are currently with top European clubs. The exceptions are Pedro Porro, who plays for a struggling Tottenham, Yeremy Pino, who plays for Crystal Palace, and Fernandez of Espanyol. The reason? His impressive start to the season with the Catalan side.

In seven matches, the 2002-born striker has scored six goals, averaging 0.86 goals per game and finding the net roughly every 102 minutes.

Fernandez has also scored six times from 3.38 xG. In other words, he has netted about 2.62 goals more than the quality of his chances would suggest.

In this start to the season, the Andalusian striker has already scored just one goal less than he did in all 38 appearances last season.

Fearless

De la Fuente, the mastermind behind a Spain side that has become both European and world champions in just two years, doesn't look at resumes but at players' performances. So Roberto's call-up is a clear reward for his dedication to hard work.

Those who follow Espanyol daily admire his perseverance and ferocity in every challenge and contested ball, even if they admit that technically he is certainly not one of the most gifted strikers around.

In an environment that has always fought against the dominance of Barcelona and defines itself as the 'wonderful minority', Roberto is trying to follow in the footsteps of other important goalscorers from the past.

From Dani Osvaldo to Sergio Garcia, Raul Tamudo and Raul de Tomas. In Cornella, where passion always runs high even if the results are rarely spectacular, opinions about him are still divided.

Noberto or Robergol?

Many believe that the striker, called up for the first time with Spain, is not very good at linking up play or driving the ball forward. So much so that last year, fans gave him two nicknames. Noberto, highlighting his lack of flair, and Robergol, emphasising his goal-scoring instincts in front of goal. 

However, his warrior spirit is also highly praised, a trait that convinced the Spanish coach to bring him along.

With Mikel Oyarzabal and Ferran Torres as the main attacking references, De la Fuente felt he needed a solid target man capable of imposing himself physically in duels and aerial battles. Much like in the era when Fernando Llorente would come on for Fernando Torres or David Villa.

For now, it seems unlikely that the first Nations League match away to England will already be an opportunity to test Roberto's ambitions - a striker who is not your typical Spanish forward but offers a tactical alternative for the world champions.

After all, with Lamine Yamal and Pedri in the squad, the step from Noberto to Robergol could be a quick one even at international level.