Silva: Spain coach Del Bosque has cast me aside

David Silva is not happy about being a forgotten man in Spain's national side, complaining that coach Vicente del Bosque has cast him aside since last year's World Cup.

The Manchester City striker believes the Spain coach has left him out in the cold since Spain's 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in South Africa, the world champions only defeat of the tournament. Silva also feels the decision to sign for City and not one of Spanish giants Barcelona or Real Madrid has also hurt his starting chances.

"The coach isn't counting on me, that's what I feel and I don't think it depends on how I play for me to be a starter. I'm the only victim of that defeat to Switzerland in South Africa still, more or less," Silva was quoted as saying in Tuesday's Marca newspaper. "I feel like I've played at a high level many times and it wasn't enough to get into the starting lineup.

"Analyzing my situation, I'm not happy but I don't foresee my prospects changing."

The 25-year-old Silva has scored 11 goals in 49 appearances for Spain and was a member of the Euro 2008 and World Cup winning teams.

After the Switzerland defeat, Silva featured only as a late substitute in the semifinal win over Germany and was an unused substitute in Spain's five other matches, including the 1-0 final win over the Netherlands.

Despite being a regular in the squad, Villa has started two of Spain's six Euro 2012 qualifiers and played in two more as a substitute.

Silva, who characterizes himself as "a second act," also believes heading to England in a €30 million ($37 million) move from Valencia last summer did not help his situation despite excelling in a star-studded cast of players.

"A lot of times I think about it that yes, not ending up (at Barcelona or Madrid) hurt my chances," said Silva, who added that Barcelona tried to sign him after the Euro 2008 triumph but Valencia was not interested in selling him.

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