Enzo Fernandez has apologized to Argentina for his remarks that Chelsea had changed their minds about him competing in the Olympics this summer.
It was once thought that the midfield player may be traveling to the Paris Games the following month as a member of La Albiceleste’s Under-23 team for the men’s football competition, which gets underway on July 24.
Though the Olympics don’t end until a week before the new Premier League season begins in August, sources earlier this month stated that Chelsea would prevent Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk of Ukraine from competing at Euro 2024.
After a difficult season in which he missed the final six games of the season due to a nagging groin injury that required surgery in April, it is rumored that the Blues prefer that Fernandez take some much-needed time off and heal. He then joined the senior Argentina squad for the Copa America tournament in the United States, where he played in friendlies against Ecuador and Guatemala before leading the team to a 1-0 victory over Chile in New Jersey on Tuesday, securing their place in the quarterfinals.
When Argentina defeated Canada in their opening match last week in Atlanta, Fernandez was not deployed as a substitute. They play Peru in Florida this coming weekend to wrap up the group stage.
Malo Gusto and Benoit Badiashile will not be joining Lesley Ugochukwu, a teammate from Chelsea, on the France Olympic squad. FIFA does not require clubs to release players for the Games.
Speaking out about Chelsea’s decision to deny him permission to play in Paris, Fernandez asserts that Mauricio Pochettino, the former manager, gave him the go-ahead initially, but that a late change of heart occurred when Maresca, Pochettino’s successor, arrived at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.
The 23-year-old publicly apologized to Javier Mascherano, the former midfielder for Barcelona, West Ham, and Liverpool who is presently coaching Argentina’s U20 team and will be leading them to the Olympics this summer.
“I exerted every effort to qualify for the Olympics,” Fernandez said to TYC Sports in Argentina. “There was a manager change, the club shifted its position, and Pochettino had given me the go-ahead.
“I apologize to Masche [Mascherano], I wanted to be there, and I did everything I could to be there. Hopefully, that will happen again.”