As Lionel Messi’s profession nears its finish, Argentina are starting to make room for younger gamers who’re steadily proving their expertise. Amongst them are Nicolas Paz and Franco Mastantuono, two rising stars that Lionel Scaloni just lately addressed.
“They’re vital gamers for us,” the top coach mentioned through the post-match press convention following Tuesday’s pleasant in opposition to Puerto Rico, by which Argentina received 6–0 in Miami. “They’re each left-footed, play in comparable positions, though they’ve completely different traits.”
Nonetheless, Scaloni was very clear when discussing their present place within the squad’s construction. “They’re younger gamers who, in the mean time, don’t have a spot within the beginning eleven,” the coach mentioned actually. “However the concept is to provide them minutes. We’re nonetheless testing issues out.”
Mastantuono and Paz share traits that make them comparable. Each are artistic, left-footed gamers preferring to function on the best wing and lower inside towards extra central areas. The problem they face proper now could be that Argentina have already got one other participant with that very same profile: Lionel Messi.
Lionel Scaloni, coach of Argentina.
At 38, the Inter Miami ahead stays a key determine for his nationwide staff, and that’s unlikely to alter forward of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Which means Franco and Nicolas will possible have to attend a minimum of one other 12 months earlier than really staking a declare to a everlasting position. “They’ll most likely be capable to coexist sooner or later,” Scaloni added.
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How did Paz and Mastantuono carry out through the FIFA break?
The result of Argentina’s October friendlies was very completely different for the 2 younger gamers. Nicolas Paz began within the first match, in opposition to Venezuela. Benefiting from Messi’s absence, he performed in that right-wing position with the liberty to float into central positions.
Paz performed the complete 90 minutes and got here near scoring his first aim with Argentina, hitting the crossbar with a strong shot. Within the second match, in opposition to Puerto Rico, he got here off the bench within the 58th minute, changing Giuliano Simeone.
Mastantuono’s state of affairs was solely completely different. He picked up a minor bodily situation through the early days of coaching in the US and was due to this fact not noted of the squad for the match in opposition to Venezuela. Franco then returned to Spain to rejoin Actual Madrid and concentrate on his restoration, lacking the pleasant in opposition to Puerto Rico as properly.
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Argentina have a really promising era of younger expertise
The query posed to Lionel Scaloni about Franco Mastantuono and Nicolas Paz may have simply as simply utilized to different gamers. Argentina have a deep pool of younger stars who’ve been shining at membership degree and are starting to earn alternatives with the nationwide staff.
Genoa’s Valentin Carboni has an identical profile to each gamers and already boasts beneficial expertise with Argentina: he was a part of the squad that received Copa America 2024 and even appeared in a match. Claudio Echeverri, just lately loaned by Manchester Metropolis to Bayer Leverkusen, has additionally been referred to as as much as the senior nationwide staff, although he has but to make his official debut.
Different attacking midfielders and wingers that may very well be added to the record embody Chelsea’s Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Buonanotte, in addition to Velez Sarsfield’s Maher Carrizo, one of many standout performers on the U-20 World Cup at present going down in Chile. A novel case is that of Matias Soule, who has been shining with AS Roma and, as a consequence of restricted alternatives with Argentina, is rumored to be contemplating switching allegiances to symbolize Italy.
