Sheffield United star dropped and sent clear message by international manager

Chile boss Ricardo Garcia has sent a clear message to Sheffield United loan star Ben Brereton-Diaz. The striker has been dropped by his national team due to a language barrier he has failed to eradicate over the last two years.

Brereton-Diaz has played for Chile since 2021, making 27 appearances along the way after deciding to represent the country of his mother. The forward quickly became a hit among Chile fans, although international experiences were made more difficult by the fact he could not speak Spanish, unlike the rest of his teammates.

In a bid to expand his Spanish-speaking brand, Brereton-Diaz joined La Liga club Villarreal last summer, joining on a free transfer after seeing his contract expire at Blackburn Rovers. After making the move, he promised to kick on with his Spanish learning, saying: “My mother is Chilean. She came to England as a child. She didn’t speak much English. And since Chile called me to represent them, I didn’t think about it. It’s been easy. Coming here is going to help me because of the cultural link between Chile and Spain. I’m learning Spanish and I’m very happy to be able to do it.”

In January, Brereton-Diaz was sent on loan to Sheffield United - since scoring twice in three league appearances for the Blades - and it seems as though he has failed to live up to his promise of learning Spanish. That's because Chile boss Gareca has now dropped the 24-year-old, making it clear that he needs to be able to speak the language to represent the nation.

"I would like him to learn Spanish, I think it is important," Gareca said, explaining his decision. "He was called up for the Copa America two years ago, he has had enough time to [learn how to] speak Spanish.

"It is something that I personally told him, that I would like him to speak Spanish. I consider it essential for communication. Communication with his team-mates, with me, with the coaching staff, with the people [and] with the press."