Garnacho axed from Argentina's World Cup squad after difficult Chelsea debut season

Alejandro Garnacho has been omitted from Argentina’s preliminary World Cup squad, dealing a significant blow to the winger just months after his £40 million move from Manchester United to Chelsea. The 21-year-old, who earned his eighth senior cap before leaving Old Trafford last summer, will not feature for the reigning world champions at this summer’s tournament.

Garnacho made his international debut in the summer of 2023 and went on to appear at the 2024 Copa America, but has featured only twice for Argentina since then — three times in total across World Cup qualifying. He is the most-capped forward from the preliminary list to miss out entirely.

Lionel Messi will lead Argentina into his sixth World Cup, with a forward group that includes Lautaro Martinez, Giuliano Simeone, Nicolas Gonzalez, Julian Alvarez and Thiago Almada — half of whom played for Atletico Madrid last season. Franco Mastantuono, despite having half as many caps as Garnacho, also misses out after a debut season at Real Madrid, as does Emiliano Buendia despite an impressive campaign at Aston Villa that earned him a second senior cap in November.

Several of Garnacho’s former United team-mates did make the cut. Lisandro Martinez is included, along with Premier League contingent Alexis Mac Allister, Cristian Romero, Emiliano Martinez and Enzo Fernandez.

The international snub adds to what has been a difficult first season in west London for Garnacho. He made 43 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea, contributing eight goals and four assists, but started only 22 of those matches. The majority of his goals came in domestic cup competitions.

Garnacho had spoken openly about the motivations behind his January move. “Sometimes in life you have to change things to take a step forward or improve as a player,” he said in December. “I think it was the right moment and the right club, so it was an easy decision. I came here to play my football and show people the player I am. The most important thing is confidence.”

His omission from Lionel Scaloni’s squad suggests that, for now, the move has not produced the uplift in form or visibility Garnacho had hoped for on the international stage.