Tottenham Hotspur’s Giovani Lo Celso has told D Sports that it wasn’t easy for him to miss the last World Cup with Argentina.
The midfielder spent the last season on loan at Villarreal and weeks before the World Cup in 2022, he suffered a hamstring injury, forcing him not only to be left out of the national team squad but also go under the knife.
Argentina won the tournament after beating France in the final and the Tottenham player has now opened up on the difficult phase of his career.
“It was a very hard moment for me, I relied on my teammates, the coaching staff, my loved ones and that’s why I stayed afloat,” he said.
The 27-year-old claims the way he handled the situation could help him in the future as well.
“At first it wasn’t easy at all, but I think all of that strengthened me and it will come in handy for the future,” Lo Celso explained.
The former Real Betis man scored in La Albiceleste’s 3-0 friendly win over El Salvador last week and could be in contention to feature against Costa Rica.
Lo Celso has used Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez to explain how the unity within the national team is.
Martínez picked up an injury in the Red Devils’ 3-0 win over West Ham United in February and hasn’t featured for them since then.
He was called up by Lionel Scaloni for this month’s international break but didn’t play for his country.
“This group is beautiful, anyone who arrives establishes themselves very quickly. It’s a family and it shows, that’s why Licha Martínez came while he’s recovering and that reflects what the national team is, we all want to be here,” the Tottenham player added.
