Why Alejandro Garnacho could miss the end of Man Utd's season even if fully fit
Manchester United youngster Alejandro Garnacho has been named in the preliminary Argentina squad for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup that kicks off next month.
Should Garnacho go to the final tournament, which is being hosted in Argentina after Indonesia was stripped of the honour, it would see him miss the final weeks of the club season.
Garnacho has become an important first-team player for United this season after making a senior breakthrough towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign. But the 18-year-old suffered an injury during the 0-0 draw with Southampton last month and has been out of action since.
United boss Erik ten Hag has said that he is expecting Garnacho to be back in action before the end of the season. But that could end up being for Argentina instead if his national team get their way.
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The Under-20 World Cup will begin on 20 May, which is the same day United are due to face Bournemouth in the Premier League. There is a game a week earlier against Wolves, with the final game of the league campaign against Fulham on 28 May.
But with United still in two cup competitions, further could be played on 31 May and 3 June if the club reaches the Europa League and FA Cup finals respectively.
The FIFA Under-20 World Cup hasn’t been held since 2019, when Erling Haaland finished as top scorer with nine goals, after the 2021 edition was cancelled due to Covid-19. England were crowned champions in 2017 when Dominic Solanke starred.
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On this edition of The Promised Land, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders & Rob Blanchette discuss Alejandro Garnacho's injury status, Anthony Martial impacting United after returning from injury, Raphael Varane's absence in defence & more! If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!