Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says he will pick the best available goalkeeper at Euro 2016, suggesting David De Gea could finally displace long-serving captain Iker Casillas.
Manchester United's De Gea, 24, was outstanding in his seventh senior cap when making a string of superb saves to keep his third successive international clean sheet as a second-string Spain side won 1-0 against Ukraine in Monday's Euro 2016 qualifier in Kiev.
On Friday, Casillas, 34, won his 164th cap in the 4-0 win over Luxembourg, and the Porto keeper has come back from some unconvincing performances at the 2014 World Cup and in the early Euro 2016 qualifiers to keep clean sheets in each of his last five competitive internationals.
Amid a fierce media debate in Spain over who should be first choice at next year's European Championship in France, De Gea spoke modestly after the game about his performance, and Del Bosque told "Al Primer Toque" afterwards that he had not yet decided who he would pick for the competition.
"I do not want to say in a drastic way what we will do," Del Bosque said. "We must wait and see how things go. The important thing is that David responds, knows what has happened. He has to look forward and be a good professional. The coach will pick the best [keeper] and if it is David, I will pick David."
When Casillas left Real Madrid for Porto in the summer, it was widely expected that De Gea would step into his place at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, but the move broke down late on transfer deadline day.
Del Bosque said De Gea would have "suffered" with the move breaking down, suggesting the Madrid-native could yet return to the Spanish giants in the future despite having since signed a new deal at United.
"I can imagine what he will be feeling inside -- he suffered something he was not expecting, it did not go as he thought it would," the former Madrid coach said. "But he must look forward and be a professional. He was at Atletico and in England he has shown what a good keeper he is.
"It is something difficult for him, but he must be happy at Spain and United, and in the future he will have the chance to go where he wants."
Speaking after the Ukraine game, De Gea's club and country colleague Juan Mata said in Marca had looked unbeatable during a game in which the home side had 28 shots, 11 on target and one off the post.
"Incredible," Mata said. "He saved the first one, and then it seemed he would save them all. He made five, six, eight big saves. I don't know how many."
Bayern Munich playmaker Thiago Alcantara told TVE that De Gea's performance had won Spain the game.
"'Sensational' is not high enough praise, he was marvellous," Thiago said. "He saved everything they threw at him. We won thanks to him."
Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas, who captained the team on his 100th cap but missed a first-half penalty, said De Gea would some day be his country's clear first choice.
"We already know David, he is the future keeper for the Spanish team," Fabregas said on TVE. "We all know that. [He and other] young players want to impress and to play. We have a very happy future with them."
The timing of De Gea's replacement of Casillas was the main question in Spain's sports pages the day after the game, with ABC's match report suggesting the level of the pairs' current clubs should play a role in Del Bosque's thinking.
"[Ukraine's attackers] were met with De Gea, who made various saves, and some great saves," it said. "He kept making stopping shots, with his fists or his feet, like a handball goalkeeper. Despite this, or because of this, he gave a new feeling of security and capability in the goal.
"Must the Manchester United keeper be a backup for the Porto keeper?"