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Cape Town - The shock of being left out of Spain's squad for the World Cup led Alvaro Morata to consider his future at Chelsea after a difficult debut season.
The 25-year-old striker joined the Blues from Real Madrid in 2017 and made a good start to life at Stamford Bridge, scoring six goals in his first six Premier League outings.
However, a troublesome back injury and a dip in form saw Morata struggle as the 2017/18 campaign went on, and he scored just five goals in his next 25 league appearances.
The former Juventus hitman subsequently failed to make Julen Lopetegui's 23-man squad for the global showpiece in Russia, which brought about thoughts of him returning to the continent.
Recalling his feelings at the time, Morata told a news conference: "'How am I going to live the summer without going to the World Cup?' It was a tough moment.
"I'm going to do everything possible to go to the next one. It was a difficult moment because I expected to go.
"I don't hold a grudge against Lopetegui. It was his opinion and I did not have my best season, either. I wish him the best and more so now that he's at Real Madrid.
"Yes, of course I considered going back to Spain or Italy. But you can't always escape reality. I left here [Spain] in order to be at the World Cup, and I didn't go.
"Of course, it was my worst moment. When you start to play football and watch World Cups on TV, it's your biggest dream."
