Lionel Messi’s physical condition ahead of the World Cup is commanding the attention of the football world, but the Inter Miami CF star is not the only concern for Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni as he finalizes his tournament roster.
Messi’s hamstring issue does not jeopardize his participation in what will be his sixth World Cup and Scaloni said Tuesday that while the injury does not look “bad,” the Argentina captain will not report to the team’s pre-tournament training camp in Buenos Aires at the federation’s Lionel Messi Training Ground in peak physical condition.
“The initial updates aren’t entirely bad,” Scaloni said in an interview with DSports. “Now, we must wait to see how he evolves, pending the results of further tests to see if they confirm the initial medical reports.”
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Messi asked to be substituted in the 73rd minute of Sunday’s 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Union. On Monday, Miami said in a statement that Messi was suffering from muscle fatigue in his left hamstring and his return to play would be based on how he progressed in the coming days and weeks.
“We all wished Messi could have joined the squad fully fit, but that isn’t the reality,” Scaloni added. “It’s not just him; many players have yet to fully recover from injuries. Our main priority now is their rehabilitation to ensure they reach the World Cup in peak condition.”
Argentina’s fitness concerns extend deep into the squad. Qatar 2022 hero and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez suffered a fractured ring finger on his right hand during warmups for last week’s Europa League final.
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The injury did not prevent him from playing in his club’s victory over Freiburg, and “Dibu” is expected to be fit to take his place in goal for Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria on June 16.
Meanwhile, Tottenham defender Cristian Romero is racing to recover from a ligament sprain in his right knee. Atlético Madrid’s Nahuel Molina and River Plate’s Gonzalo Montiel — the two projected right-backs on Scaloni’s final list — are nursing muscle injuries. Additionally, Como midfielder Nico Paz missed his club’s final Serie A match due to a knee injury and Atlético Madrid winger Nicolás González is in the final stages of recovery from a muscle tear.
Scaloni said that all injured players will be evaluated right up until the final squad announcement, which is due to FIFA by June 2. None of the aforementioned players, including Messi, are expected to feature in Argentina’s warmup matches before the World Cup.
Consequently, Scaloni has expanded his roster for the upcoming friendlies against Honduras on June 6 at Texas A&M Stadium and Iceland on June 9 in Auburn Alabama. The manager has called up goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán and winger Joaquín Freitas (both from River Plate), midfielders Tomás Aranda (Boca Juniors) and Simón Escobar (Vélez Sarsfield), defender Ignacio Ovando (Rosario Central), and full-backs Nicolás Capaldo (Hamburg) and Agustín Giay (Palmeiras).
“Regardless of the fact that they are young and we are looking at them as future national team players, we are calling them up because something could happen between the time the initial squad list is finalized and our first match,” Scaloni noted. “That is a period during which we still have the window to make changes.”
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The defending World Cup champions plan to set up their base camp at Sporting KC’s training facility next week and will travel there on June 1. Argentina opens Group J play against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City, before facing Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27, with the latter two matches in Arlington, Texas.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
