Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni stated that the reason for not inviting Lionel Messi is because he feels the star is still suffering from the effects of having Covid, after he contracted the ‘roughest variant’ during the winter break.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Messi has played only one match this year after getting infected in December.
However, the Balloon D’or winner was not invited for his country’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Chile and Colombia because Scaloni, the Argentine national coach feels he has not yet fully recovered from the sickness.
‘I talked to (Messi) after he tested positive for COVID,’ Scaloni told a press conference on Wednesday. ‘It affected him a lot, he had the roughest variant.
‘It is important that he recovers, feels fit because there will be important moments ahead. I felt that it was not ideal for him to joins us [on international duty this weekend] not being at 100 per cent. He was affected for a some time.’
The coach also told reporters that his assistants Walter Samuel and Roberto Ayala will be in charge for the match.
Argentina has booked a spot at the tournament in Qatar, while Chile is still in contention.
