Euro 2016 Qualifier: Diego Costa Snubs Jose Mourinho's Wish, Plans to Play for Spain
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho recently said that he wants Diego Costa to skip Spain's upcoming match in the Euro 2016 qualifier in order to recover from a recurring hamstring injury.
In an interview with ESPN FC, the Lagarto, Brazil-born Costa said that he doesn't want to get involved in a "club vs. country" scenario and a possible dispute between Mourinho and Spain coach Vicente del Bosque.
Costa, who was acquired by Chelsea last summer via a lucrative 32 million-pound move from Atletico Madrid, said that he is still planning to play for Spain in their upcoming matches against Slovakia and Luxembourg.
The star striker is confident that Mourinho will eventually understand his decision to play for Spain and that the feared conflict between the Chelsea boss and Del Bosque will not happen.
"I do not believe that could happen," Costa said. "I have already had enough with the issue about Brazil. Now I must stay relaxed to be able to work and do things well, with the national team too."
Mourinho said earlier this week that Costa is barely participating in training because they are taking a cautious approach on the striker's hamstring injury.
The 51-year-old Portuguese football manager said that Costa will only recover fully from the hamstring injury if he will skip Spain's upcoming matches this month.
"If he doesn't go to the national team and if he stays here 15 days just on treatment, he has the perfect chance to be top for Chelsea and top for the national team," Mourinho said. "If he doesn't have this period, will be always, plays one game, the other is in trouble, the muscle is tight, the muscle is a danger to rupture."
Costa, who has scored eight goals in six Barclays Premier League games this season, played in 90 minutes in their UEFA Champions' League group stage 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, playing down speculation about his injured hamstring.
"I played 90 minutes -- it's clear that I'm okay, I feel better every time and is up to the manager," Costa said via Goal.com. "I work intensively during the week with the physios because I have had some discomfort for a while."
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