Enzo Fernandez withdraws from the Argentina squad with a knee injury

Chelsea’s midfielder Enzo Fernandez has pulled out of the Argentina team after he suffered a knee injury against Venezuela last night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

The 24-year-old played 78 minutes of the friendly against Venezuela, where he suffered synovitis and was replaced by Alexis Mac Allister.

Following the 1-0 victory against the Vinotinto, Lionel Scaloni received the news of the player’s absence. In the post-match press conference, the coach had announced that in the next match against Puerto Rico on Tuesday, “all the new players who have come in will play.” However, Fernández’s situation complicated the coach’s plans.

The official AFA X account reported that the midfielder was “removed from the tour due to synovitis in his right knee.” This statement was accompanied by an image of Enzo training with a bandage on his right leg.

This isn’t the first absence suffered by Lionel Scaloni’s team in this double-match window. Prior to the match against Venezuela, Franco Mastantuono was ruled out with a muscle strain; the 18-year-old forward immediately returned to Spain to begin his recovery with his club, Real Madrid.

The other player who missed the match was Lionel Messi, but in this case it wasn’t a physical issue. The Argentine national team captain was held out of the first match and is expected to be back tonight for his team’s match against Atlanta United in the MLS. Messi was also watching his teammates at Hard Rock Stadium.

Chelsea make a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday after the international break, and Enzo Maresca will be keen on having Fernandez for that fixture.