03 March 2023 , 16:25
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Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho appears to have settled on an international future with Argentina, despite efforts from Spain to win him over.
Garnacho, 18, was born in Spain to an Argentine mother, making him eligible for both countries. He has represented Spain at under-18 level and Argentina's under-20 side, and earned his first senior call-up for the South American nation in 2022.
He didn't play during that training camp, though, and was left out of Lionel Scaloni's World Cup winning squad. However, despite Spain retaining hope of talking him into a U-turn, the teenager has made Scaloni's latest squad in what looks like a clear message over his future.
Argentina boss Scaloni has named a 35-man squad for the upcoming fixtures against Panama and Curacao. Garnacho is one of a number of Premier League stars to make the cut, along with World Cup golden glove winner Emi Martinez and young player of the tournament Enzo Fernandez.
Brighton duo Alexis Mac Allister and Facundo Buonanotte have also made the cut, as have Manchester City pair Julian Alvarez and Maximo Perrone. The Premier League contingent is rounded out with Emi Buendia, Cristian Romero and Garnacho's club team-mate Lisandro Martinez.
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Argentina are due to take on Panama on March 23, with the Curacao game coming five days later. The double-header is their first action since winning the World Cup in Qatar, and player of the tournament Lionel Messi is involved along with the England-based stars.
Garnacho is understood to have spoken with Spanish officials after being left out of the World Cup squad. Manager Luis Enrique was said to be a fan before leaving his post in December, with Luis de la Fuente taking over.
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The youngster could now be in line for a senior Argentina bow in a matter of weeks after showing some impressive club form. Garnacho scored his fourth goal of the season in midweek to help Man Utd knock West Ham out of the FA Cup, and has also been on target in the Premier League and Europa League.
"I told him before the game, 'you have an impact when you come on, but now you need to have impact as a starter'," Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag said after the effort against the Hammers. "I think he's capable of it and that's the next step he needs to take.
"It's a great skill when you're fearless, when you're brave. He's one of the players that I think has a skill that is so specific. There are not many players in world football who take players on, who are capable of just going at players and out-dribbling them.
"But he has more skill than that, for example, finishing. He also has a big engine. He's fast, he has speed and he can keep running for 90 minutes or 120 minutes."