Uruguay wait on De Arrascaeta, Estudiantes dream of Tiago Palacios | OneFootball

In one of the first training sessions with the full squad before departing for Mexico, Uruguay ended the day with bad news. Giorgian de Arrascaeta had to leave training due to a muscle problem and will undergo medical tests to determine whether he is fit to make it to the World Cup. If it is a tear, he could be ruled out of the tournament.

The No. 10 for La Celeste and Flamengo was already only just making it after the collarbone fracture he suffered in late April against Estudiantes in the Copa Libertadores. In the middle of his recovery and getting closer and closer to being back to full fitness, these new physical issues have come at the worst possible time and seriously jeopardize his participation in the entire World Cup.

For now, it is only alarm bells. However, if the medical results confirm the worst-case scenario, he would need at least three weeks of recovery, and that would practically leave him with no chance of taking part in the group stage. Therefore, the most likely outcome would be for him to be cut and replaced by another player.

According to FIFA regulations, Uruguay (and any other national team) has until one day before its World Cup debut to decide to replace one of the 26 players called up. Whoever takes his place must be on the preliminary list submitted earlier. Since La Celeste begins its campaign on June 15 against Saudi Arabia in Miami, time is running out for De Arrascaeta.

A key player for his national team today, for the 32-year-old attacking midfielder this is his third chance to play in a World Cup. A substitute in Russia 2018, he came on against Egypt and the hosts in the group stage and, four years later, at Qatar 2022, he also started on the bench. He got minutes in the defeat to Portugal and, in his first and only World Cup start, scored twice in the 2-0 win over Ghana, which was not enough to send La Celeste through to the round of 16.

As a result of this situation, Estudiantes are now keeping a close eye on a possible call-up for Tiago Palacios, who was part of the preliminary list of 55 and is usually included in the squad but was cut from the final selection. He is precisely a player the club plans to sell, and at Estudiantes they are rubbing their hands at the possibility of him becoming a World Cup player. With his vacation already booked, his phone will stay close at hand until June 9, while La Celeste trains in Montevideo.

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