Alejandro Garnacho lands Argentina World Cup place after scathing 'arrogance' warning

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Alejandro Garnacho has been handed a spot in Argentina ’s provisional World Cup squad despite his difficult season. Lionel Scaloni has named a preliminary 55-man squad for this summer’s tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez are among the high-profile names to have been included alongside icon Lionel Messi . Chelsea forward Garnacho is also named despite having endured a difficult debut season at Stamford Bridge.

The 21-year-old has scored just one Premier League goal for the West London club following his £40million move from Manchester United . His return to the squad comes after former Argentina international Oscar Ruggeri claimed that Garnacho needed to change his attitude if he wanted to play at the World Cup.

Speaking to TNT Sports last year , he said: “He’s no better than anyone else, you’re a football player, enjoy it, but you shouldn’t be so full of yourself.

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“It’s pointless because you miss out on so much. Someone has to bring him down to earth. They’re not calling him up to the national team. If he comes back down to earth like he was, they’ll call him up again because he’s phenomenal on the pitch.”

Garnacho has earned eight caps for his country since his debut in 2023. He has however made just one appearance at a major tournament for the South American nation - that coming in the 2024 Copa America.

Garnacho has regularly underlined his desire to play at the World Cup, however. He said: "For me, playing for Argentina and with Messi is a dream. I have to keep working [and] try to play better and better.

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“I was at the Copa America with all the team. I didn’t play too much but just being around these players and winning the Copa was an incredible moment. Hopefully, for the next World Cup, I will be ready to play, and we will try to win.”

Scaloni’s preparations for the World Cup will already be underway as he attempts to mastermind back-to-back successes, having claimed the title in Qatar four years ago. Argentina are set to take on Honduras in a pre-tournament friendly before group games against Algeria, Austria and Jordan.

One surprise name who has been left out of the squad is Roma forward Paulo Dybala. The 32-year-old endured a difficult season for the Italian side, scoring just three goals all season.

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