Argentina and Marseille central defender Leonardo Balerdi has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a calf injury, the world champions confirmed on Saturday.
The 27-year-old had a muscle injury in his right leg and will miss the World Cup, the Argentine federation stated on social media, wishing the player a swift recovery.
Balerdi, who hoped to play in his first World Cup, shared a photo of himself training with the team in Kansas City on social media on Friday.
Argentina has not yet announced a successor.
Argentina’s warm-up match against Honduras is scheduled for late Saturday in College Station, Texas.
They will begin their competition on June 17 against Algeria in Kansas City.
The injury occurred too recently to know who will replace Balerdi on the 26-man list. However, there are a few names that could be called up until a day before their first match, on June 16. The main candidate may be Marcos Senesi, since he is also a center back.
For the defender, it would be a great chance after solid years with Bournemouth that led to a free transfer to Tottenham for next season, in what should be a step forward in his career. One major difference with Balerdi is that he is left-footed.
