Fernando Llorente believes his likely exclusion from Spain's World Cup squad could be a blessing in disguise -- for himself and Juventus.
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caption:Fernando Llorente seems to have given up hope of playing at the World Cup.
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• Rzouki: Conte should stay
Llorente, 29, took a while to settle in at Juve following his arrival from Athletic Bilbao last summer and was at one time being linked with a return to Spain after only six months.
However, he has since gone on to become a key fixture in Antonio Conte’s side and has scored 14 goals in 30 Serie A games.
"That was the hardest part [settling in], when we were on preseason in the U.S. and we didn't yet have the right understanding and there was a lot of criticism," Llorente told Tuttosport.
With the likes of Diego Costa and Alvaro Negredo seemingly ahead of Llorente in the pecking order for a place in Vicente del Bosque’s Spain squad, the Juve striker looks likely to miss out on a spot at the World Cup.
However, should that prove to be the case, Llorente feels the opportunity of a full preseason could only help in view of the 2014-15 campaign.
"I'm not thinking about the World Cup anymore," he said. "The fact that [Carlos] Tevez and I are not going to be playing in it could be beneficial to Juventus."