Pino has been handed a recall after recovering from a knee injury suffered last season.
He said. “It has been very long and very hard, with moments of doubt and uncertainty without knowing if I was going to be able to return the same or not. In the end, here we are in a new opportunity, a new illusion like the first day, fighting for my dream.
“I remember that Mikel (Oyarzabal) when I was injured told me, ‘learn from the process that it is very beautiful’. At first I didn’t understand it, I thought it was s***, but over time I’ve seen that yes, you have to learn from it.”
Pino missed the Euros triumph for Spain and he also said: “Not being there hurt me a little – I’m not going to deny it – but to see what they’ve achieved… I’ve been with them for a long time, since Luis (de la Fuente) came I’ve always been there and it’s like a family. I spoke many times with Luis, with Baena, with David (Raya) and with Alvaro (Morata) who made me feel part of the group even though I was not there. They gave me a lot of encouragement.”