Cesc Fabregas ruled out of Spain squad for Belarus and Germany

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Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas will miss Spain's forthcoming matches against Belarus and Germany with a hamstring problem, but the Spanish FA has said the injury is improving.

After Fabregas completed the 90 minutes in Chelsea's 2-1 Premier League win at Liverpool on Saturday, Blues boss Jose Mourinho revealed he had a hamstring problem and was unlikely to be able to play for Spain.

Last week, Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque decided against calling Chelsea centre-forward Diego Costa up for the two games in an apparent attempt to heal a club vs. country rift over the player.

Although Chelsea's medical staff contacted their counterparts at the Spanish FA to say that the hamstring problem meant Fabregas could not play for the national team this week, he was asked to travel to Spain to undergo further tests on Tuesday.

A statement released after the tests had been carried out said: "Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas is out of the squad for the games against Belarus and Germany after undergoing tests and assessments this morning by the national team's medical services.

"An MRI scan showed a clear improvement compared to that done by his club's medical services on Sunday.

"That diagnosis talked about an inflammatory process in a hamstring muscle. Although the scan shows no tear in that zone, the player continues to present discomfort and the medical services consider that his participation in the coming games would not be recommendable for his complete recovery."

The statement went on to add that Del Bosque had chosen to bring Villarreal midfielder Bruno Soriano into the squad for Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifier against Belarus in Huelva and the friendly against World Cup-winners Germany in Vigo.

Spain are already without attacking midfielders David Silva, Andres Iniesta and Thiago Alcantara, while Sergio Busquets remains a doubt after being substituted in Barcelona's 2-1 win at Almeria on Saturday with a suspected groin problem.

With Xabi Alonso and Xavi Hernandez having retired from international football after the World Cup, Del Bosque could field an inexperienced midfield, with Atletico Madrid's Koke and Real Madrid's Isco looking likely to start.