Spain coach Luis Aragones has defended his decision to pick Chelsea left-back Asier Del Horno ahead of Getafe's Mariano Pernia in his 27-man squad for Monday's pre-World Cup get-together.

Getafe boss Bernd Schuster was highly critical of Aragones for omitting Pernia and including Del Horno, whose first season with the Premiership champions has not been a huge personal success, instead.

Schuster had said that Del Horno's only contribution this season "had been to kick Messi in the Champions League" while Pernia "has had a great season and deserves to go to the World Cup."

However, Aragones said: "I understand that Pernia's absence may surprise many considering he is playing very well.

"(Argentina-born) Pernia only recently got his Spanish nationality and a coach must respect other players that have played before.

"We cannot forget that Del Horno scored against England."