Argentina’s men’s national football team is gearing up for its 2026 World Cup debut after two encouraging friendly victories. Yet concerns over the squad’s growing injury list remain a headache for coach Lionel Scaloni.

The biggest piece of news from the Albiceleste camp following Thursday’s open training session was the return of goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez to full training, with the Aston Villa star once again working with both hands and wearing his gloves.

Martínez fractured a finger on his right hand during the warm-up ahead of the Europa League final on May 20, sparking concerns among Argentina supporters less than a month before the tournament.

Since then, the goalkeeper had been training without gloves to avoid putting pressure on the injury, limiting himself to one-handed drills under the close supervision of the coaching staff.

After the latest medical examinations showed the fracture was healing well, Martínez was cleared to resume regular training. He completed a tailored routine that included shots taken with a regulation-size ball to his left side and exercises using a smaller, softer ball to test the injured hand.

The 33-year-old appeared to feel some discomfort after an intense sequence of lateral movements, though coaching staff reportedly viewed it as a normal part of the process of returning to action after injury rather than a setback.

Tagliafico remains with the team, for now

Perhaps Scaloni’s biggest concern at the moment is defender Nicolás Tagliafico’s fitness.

The former Independiente and Ajax full-back experienced discomfort following Argentina’s friendly against Honduras, with subsequent tests confirming a Grade 1 tear in his left soleus muscle.

The injury is expected to sideline him for between one and three weeks, ruling him out of Argentina’s World Cup opener against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, and potentially putting the rest of the group stage at risk.

For now, reports suggest Scaloni is inclined to keep Tagliafico in the squad. 

However, Argentina can make changes to its World Cup roster until the day before its opening match, making the coming days crucial as the coaching staff evaluates whether the defender can recover in time to play a part in the tournament.

Senesi in for Balerdi

One player who has already been ruled out is defender Leonardo Balerdi.

The Olympique de Marseille center-back suffered a soleus muscle injury in his right leg during training with the national team and was expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks.

Although the former Boca Juniors player was quickly withdrawn from the squad following the diagnosis on June 6, Scaloni and the coaching team initially stopped short of naming a replacement.

That uncertainty ended on Thursday afternoon, when Marcos Senesi was confirmed as Balerdi’s replacement in Argentina’s World Cup squad.

The 29-year-old center-back, a product of San Lorenzo’s academy, was a key figure for Premier League side Bournemouth last season as the club pushed for European qualification.

Having recently completed a move to Tottenham Hotspur, Senesi arrives in strong form and was widely viewed as the most natural replacement for Balerdi due to his experience, left-footed profile and familiarity with Scaloni’s system.