The unique nature of the Qatar World Cup being held in winter means there’s just one week between pausing of the Premier League and the start of the competition in the middle-east.
The likes of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante have already been ruled out of the tournament, while Heung-Min Son is now a severe doubt.
There are fears that players will be unwilling to put their body on the line as the competition approaches, while participating countries are understandably concerned they will be without some of their players.
But the Argentine FA’s request for clubs to release their players a week early was rejected out of hand, with clubs under no obligation to do so.
There are six Argentines in the league with a shout of making the squad, with Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho at Manchester United, Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez at Aston Villa, Cristian Romero at Tottenham, and Alexis Mac Allister at Brighton.
Argentina are one of the favourites for the tournament, which is likely to be Lionel Messi’s last international competition before his retirement.
But clubs are anxious that players will claim injury in the final round of fixtures before the tournament as a club vs country row heats up, according to the Daily Mail.
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