Argentina forward Alejandro Garnacho will not participate in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia due to discomfort in his left knee, the team announced on Monday. The 20-year-old Manchester United winger played the full match in Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League but will not join the Argentina national team.
Argentina currently leads the standings with 18 points from eight matches and will face sixth-placed Venezuela on Thursday before hosting eighth-placed Bolivia the following Tuesday. While Garnacho was initially called up for these matches, coach Lionel Scaloni has replaced him with Leicester City player Facundo Buonanotte.
Garnacho has seven caps and was part of the Argentina squad that won the Copa America in the United States, securing a record 16th title in July.
The Argentina squad includes:
Goalkeepers: Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso, Walter Benitez
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico, Julio Soler
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Exequiel Palacios, Enzo Fernandez, Giovani Lo Celso, Thiago Almada, Facundo Buonanotte
Forwards: Nicolas Paz, Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martínez, Julian Alvarez, Valentín Carboni