Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez unfortunately missed out on international duty with Argentina because of injury.
Reports this week suggest that Lisandro Martinez is nearing a return from his calf injury and is set to participate in Manchester United’s Ireland training camp this month.
However, Martinez was left out of the Argentina squad during his recovery, meaning he missed out on a final chance to impress on the international stage before the 2026 World Cup this summer.
Argentina were disappointing in their 2-1 win over Mauritania, but a convincing 5-0 win over Zambia in the early hours of Wednesday morning will have pleased manager Lionel Scaloni.
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Lisandro Martinez is already in Lionel Scaloni’s World Cup squad
As per WorldSoccerTalk, Scaloni has already selected 21 players to make Argentina’s World Cup squad, meaning only five places are still up for contention.
The reports from Argentina claim that Martinez is among the 21 players already selected to go to the tournament, despite him missing out on the March internationals.
Martinez played a key role in Argentina’s World Cup win in 2022 and Scaloni is a big admirer of the 28-year-old defender.
Martinez can be relaxed about his World Cup spot and focus on returning to full fitness in Manchester United’s final seven games of the 2025/26 season.
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Lisandro Martinez is exempt from Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina warning
Despite Argentina’s dominant 5-0 win, manager Scaloni sent a warning to his players that World Cup places cannot be guaranteed.
“With this jersey, you don’t have time to relax and think your place is guaranteed. It can’t happen again ; you can play well or badly,” Scaloni said, as quoted by ESPN Argentina.
“Even they [the players] talked and realised it.
“Here, things are taken as they are: this is performance, performance, and performance. There are players who have given us, and continue to give us, a lot. But we have to keep going, playing well; there’s no other way to interpret it.
“It’s very difficult to replace some players who are part of a certain era, who gave us so much in the World Cup and the Copa America. They’re always playing a crucial match for everyone; it’s not that they’re on trial, but rather that the challenge is constant.”
Scaloni clearly was warning Argentina players that they must perform to earn a spot in the World Cup squad, but it seems Martinez has enough credit in the bank to earn his spot based on previous performances.
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