Atlético block Ivan Román's call-up for the Under-20 World Cup | OneFootball

Atlético has decided not to release the 19-year-old defender Ivan Román for the U-20 World Cup, which will be held from September 27 to October 20 in Chile. The decision by the club from Minas Gerais prevents the defender from wearing the Chilean national team jersey in a tournament that is a showcase for young talents.

Signed at the beginning of this season from Palestino (CHI), Román has only played seven matches for Galo’s professional team, five of them as a starter. Despite his young age, the player has already been called up to the Chilean senior national team this year during the World Cup Qualifiers.

In the youth competition, Chile is in Group A, alongside New Zealand, Japan, and Egypt.

Román’s absence from the Chilean national team squad comes at a time when Atlético is facing difficulties this season and sees the need to keep options available for its defensive sector. On the night of last Wednesday (17), for example, the defender was left out of the squad for the 1-1 draw against Bolívar in Bolivia, in the Copa Sudamericana, due to a case of gastroenteritis.

For the match, Sampaoli only had Lyanco, Alonso, and Vitor Hugo. Since all of them were starters, the Argentine coach had no defenders on the bench.

With the decision not to release Román, Galo reinforces its priority to count on the young defender in the squad during a decisive period in the calendar, even if that means blocking the player’s participation in a tournament with global visibility.

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