Argentina national football team head coach Lionel Scaloni said he did not want to "sound the alarm" shortly before the opening match of the World Cup, but "admitted that many players are still not 100% ready" for the defending champions, BTA reported.
Superstar Lionel Messi watched from the bench as Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 in a friendly in College Station, Texas. The Argentina captain, who will soon turn 39, is recovering from a thigh muscle problem.
“Leo is progressing well, he is already training partially with the team and that is very good“, commented Scaloni, quoted by the DPA agency.
It remains to be seen whether Messi will take part in Argentina's final test in midweek against Iceland.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also did not take part in the test, as did several other members of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup. Martinez broke his finger before Aston Villa's victory over Freiburg in the Europa League final last month.
However, Argentine media suggest that he will be available for Argentina's first match at the World Cup on June 16 against Algeria.