Spain boss Del Bosque continues Costa row

Del Bosque

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque says he will remain 'stubborn' over the selection of Diego Costa.

Diego Costa

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho blamed Del Bosque for Costa's recent injury problems, insisting the striker should not have played in Spain's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Slovakia.

And Del Bosque has responded to Mourinho's criticism by declaring that he will not leave Costa out just to satisfy the Chelsea manager.

'We've had no luck with Diego. He didn't join us at the best time and the injuries he had didn't help him,' Del Bosque told the DPA news agency.

'In some things we are very flexible and in others stubborn, and in this we are stubborn.

'I don't know if we are right or wrong, but if we hadn't called up Costa for the national team we'd definitely have been criticised for not having done so.' 

Mourinho revealed Costa spent a night in hospital after a virus hampered his recovery from hamstring and groin injuries.

And the former Real Madrid and Inter Milan manager took the chance to have a dig at Del Bosque after being asked about his striker's condition.

'The virus is fine,' Mourinho began. 'It was hard, he had to go to the hospital and obviously it doesn't help him to recover from his injury. 

'But he didn't play on Sunday (against United) because of the injury, not because of the virus.

'Diego has the hamstring (problem) because he played two matches in three days when he was not with us.'

And when asked whether Costa's problems were now over, Mourinho added: 'But he still has (to play for) the national team in November!'