Silva reveals Spain woe

The 25-year-old midfielder has won a half-century of caps for his country since debuting in 2006 but has struggled to claim a first-team berth since Spain's opening game in South Africa against Switzerland last summer.

The Manchester City playmaker told AS: "I feel that I don't have the confidence of the coach. When I was the only victim of the defeat against Switzerland, I thought that it could be to do with fitness, but afterwards, the critics towards my performances have always been good, although that isn't enough for the coach to trust in me."

He added: "Before that game (against Switzerland) I felt confident. I played regularly, I had a place in the team, but after that defeat everything started to change. As such over time I've thought that I was the victim of that bad start that we had in the World Cup."

Silva is well aware that competition is tough for berths in the Spain midfield, though.

"My team-mates are very good and it's not up to me to decide if I have to be part of the starting XI. The only thing I say is that whilst Luis (Aragones) had confidence in me, Del Bosque thinks differently," he said.

Looking ahead to the Euro 2012 finals, which reigning champions Spain have already qualified for, Silva added: "The decision of who goes or not will be the coach's. I'm going to work hard to maintain this level I'm at now, but even still I doubt I'm going to have a leading role in the European Championships."