Injuries to a key player continue to dog Spain's preparations for a major championship.

Twelve months ago Pau Gasol's participation in the World Championships were hampered by a recurrent thigh problem and now as Spain get down to work for next month's European Championships, coach Moncho Lopez has a headache over power forward Felipe Reyes.

The Estudiantes player, voted MVP in the Spanish Liga ACB last season, originally damaged his ankle playing against Barcelona in the end of season play-offs and has not yet made a full recovery.

So far Reyes' training with the squad has been limited to one full session and he has had to spend his time on the bike or in the pool to control his weight.

"I would like to train with the rest of the squad, but that's the way things are," explained Reyes, who is not yet ready to push the panic button.

"We are not alarmed yet; at the moment the moment we are just worried and I have told the coach not to worry.

"There are a lot of days ahead of us and the best thing is not to take any risks. it is much better to stop for a few days now than to have to do so when the competition is a lot closer or has even started."