Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has said that he is confident of working his way back into the Spain set-up under the management of the national team's new head coach Luis Enrique.
Mata helped Spain triumph at the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championships, but the attacker has not represented his country since November 2016.
The 30-year-old has admitted that he was "disappointed" to be left out of the squad for the 2018 World Cup, and is now hopeful of earning a recall under new head coach Enrique.
"I was disappointed not to go [to the World Cup]. But then after that, I was hoping for them to win," Mata told ESPN.
"Now, things have changed. We have a new manager again, Luis Enrique. I'm again excited about the possibility of coming back. I obviously want to come back and try to play as many games as I can with the national team.
"I'm really excited about it and I think the future, it can be still bright for Spain, because we have young players coming that, as I said, they have the level to compete.
"We have some senior players that we have been there for some years and we have the experience so I think it's a good mix and hopefully it can be a good future for Spanish football."
Spain will begin their UEFA Nations League campaign against England on September 8.
Matt Law
