Euro 2016: Barcelona starlet Alen Halilovic left out of Croatia’s 23-man final squad
Coach Cacic says that the 19-year-old would not be able to cope being a ‘fringe’ player at the tournament in France
THERE IS no place for Alen Halilovic, Barcelona’s highly-rated teenager, in Croatia’s 23-man squad for Euro 2016.
The 19-year-old midfielder, who impressed on loan at Sporting Gijon last season, was named in the 27-man provisional squad but failed to make the cut for this month’s tournament in France.
Croatia coach Ante Cacic explained that Halilovic plus Dinamo Zagreb’s Domagoj Antolic would not be able to cope being “fringe” players at the Euros, and that was why they were omitted.
Cacic said: "Every player involved in the build-up deserved to be in the squad and I had to decide which players we needed the most.
"Ante Coric and Marko Rog were preferred to Halilovic and Antolic, because I assessed the latter two would find it more difficult to handle being fringe players at Euro 2016.”
Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren already knew he would not be going anywhere near the Euros after falling out with the Cacic, who did not even pick him in his provisional squad.
Cacic said: "Playing in the national team requires good form and total commitment at club and international level.
“We want to keep a sound atmosphere in the dressing room. I haven't closed the door on Lovren for good, he can return one day if he realises that he has to be a team player.”
Former Spurs stars Vedran Corluka and Luka Modric, now at Lokomotiv Moscow and Real Madrid, will both feature for Croatia at the Euros.
Croatia Euro 2016 squad
GOALKEEPERS: Lovre Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Ivan Vargic (Rijeka).
DEFENDERS: Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen), Gordon Schildenfeld (Dinamo Zagreb), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ivan Strinic (Napoli), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kiev), Sime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo).
MIDFIELDERS: Marko Rog (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Coric (Dinamo Zagreb), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona).
STRIKERS: Nikola Kalinic (Fiorentina), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Marko Pjaca (Dinamo Zagreb), Duje Cop (Dinamo Zagreb).