21 April 2023 , 10:12
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Former Liverpool star Javier Mascherano is expected to hold talks with Manchester United amid an ongoing row over forward Alejandro Garnacho.
The 18-year-old has been called up to the Argentina squad for the upcoming under-20 World Cup set to be held in the South American nation later this year. The Red Devils are reluctant to release Garnacho for the tournament amid a couple of fears.
Garnacho is still recovering from an ankle injury that he suffered back in March and is yet to return to the first-team fold at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, the World Cup is set to start on May 20 meaning that the youngster could miss a whole host of fixtures for United.
Should he go to the tournament, he would miss Premier League games against both Bournemouth and Fulham, as well as the FA Cup final on June 3. United are not yet guaranteed to be there and will attempt to find a way past in-form Brighton at Wembley this weekend.
The South American nation are attempting to smooth things over by flying ex-Liverpool star and current Argentina U20 coach Mascherano over to Manchester for talks. As per The Telegraph, he will arrive in England next week for discussions with the Red Devils and will attempt to negotiate the release of the young forward.
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As it stands, FIFA rules state that clubs are “obliged to release their registered players to representative teams of the country for which the player is eligible to play on the basis of his nationality if they are called by the association concerned” and that “any agreement between a player and a club to the contrary is prohibited”. However, with the tournament set to take place during the season itself, those rules are not compulsory.
Javier Mascherano is now the Argentina U20 coach after his retirement (Getty Images)Should Man Utd let Alejandro Garnacho go to the U20 World Cup? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Garnacho has missed the last four Premier League games for the Red Devils, whilst he was also on the sidelines for their previous three Europa League games ahead of their exit at the hands of Sevilla. It is not the first time that he has been in the centre of a row between his club and Argentina.
Ahead of the senior World Cup in Qatar, it was claimed that he had been left out of the squad due to attitude problems. However, Mascherano disputed that was the case.
Speaking in November, he said: “The first time Scaloni brought him [Garnacho] in March, and then when we went to Toulon, he behaved spectacularly. Garnacho is a respectful boy.
“He formed a very nice bond with the boys who play in Argentina even though he didn’t really know them. I really don't know why they say what they say, but with us he had a behaviour and predisposition that was 10 out of 10.
“Obviously Garnacho is a great player. There is a reason he is playing for Manchester United for a reason at the age of 18.”