Nico Paz on special treatment, Argentina back him for World Cup | OneFootball

Little by little, the list of injured players Argentina arrived with in Kansas has started to shrink, bringing peace of mind to the coaching staff. The only one who, for now, is taking longer than expected to get past his issue is Nicolás Paz, but even so there is no alarm within the Argentina squad and optimism prevails that he will be fit in time for the World Cup.

While it is true that the Como midfielder still feels pain in his left knee as a result of a minor bone injury, and his progress is the one Lionel Scaloni is monitoring most closely, it is also true that he is undergoing special treatment to move past it and there is not the extreme concern some have tried to create.

In that sense, the internal view within Argentina’s coaching and medical staff is that Paz will recover and be physically ready for June 16 against Algeria. There is no risk for the moment, and internally they understand he is a key player who can bring a lot to the team, so they will wait for him. The plan is for him to train alongside the group after the first friendly against Honduras (he will not play in that one or the second against Iceland).

Nevertheless, it is also worth clarifying that since this is a World Cup and every necessary precaution must be taken given the very small margin for error, Emiliano Buendía has already been contacted in case there is any withdrawal from the current 26-man squad.

Scaloni will use these days before the start of the World Cup (it begins on the 11th) to assess whether all the called-up players are fit to face such a demanding competition, which will require playing matches very frequently, and based on that he will decide on possible changes to the roster.

Nicolás Paz’s encouraging post

“Final days of recovery, really eager to get started”, Paz himself wrote in an Instagram story. Amid the rumors that began circulating on social media about his injury, the left-footer spoke out on his personal account to bring calm.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.