Manchester United could be forced to tackle the end of their season without young winger Alejandro Garnacho if Argentina are awarded the rights to host this summer’s Under-20 World Cup.
Argentina failed to qualify for the tournament, which will be held in May and was initially supposed to be hosted by Indonesia, but FIFA have confirmed that there will be a change of host after the island of Bali refused to welcome the Israeli team.
A new host will be selected imminently and reports have suggested that Argentina are the only nation to have submitted a bid.
“There are other countries that have also announced interest but as a candidacy, with the government’s guarantees and other details, Argentina is the first and we will make the decision in two or three days,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Should Argentina be awarded hosting rights, then La Albiceleste would also be expected to be reinstated into the tournament, and that could have repercussions for United.
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Argentina would likely call up Garnacho for the tournament, which begins on May 20, and FIFA rules would prevent United from blocking his departure as clubs may not deny call-ups for major tournaments like the World Cup.
The 18-year-old is currently sidelined with an ankle injury but reports in Argentina believe he would be fit enough to play in the tournament if he was called up.
If he were to be called up, Garnacho would miss United’s final two Premier League games of the season, against Bournemouth and Fulham, while he would also be away for both the Europa League and FA Cup finals. The former is scheduled for May 31, with the latter a few days later on June 3.
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