Three of Mexico's top players have been ruled out of Saturday's match against Scotland, manager Juan Carlos Osorio said Friday.
There have been concerns about the fitness of defenders Hector Moreno and Diego Reyes as well as midfielder Andres Guardado after all three arrived to Mexico camp carrying various injuries from their seasons in Europe.
"For tomorrow’s game vs. Scotland, none of the three are going to be there: Hector, Diego or Andres," he said in a news conference. "Because of a decision by the medical department, their rehabilitation process has been extended a week more. We hope they’ll be available for the game in Copenhagen vs. Denmark."
Osorio had set Saturday's send-off match at the Estadio Azteca as a deadline for the players to get to top fitness but is set to reverse course and take 25 players to Denmark for El Tri's final friendly match before the World Cup.
"The idea is to take two more players, precisely because of the injured players because nobody can guarantee with certainty that they’re going to be there, at least maybe not all three. We’ve made this decision because of the scenario, but obviously I have to comply with the norms," he said.
That likely will mean Osorio's 23-man roster will be released with two of the players learning their fate in Denmark as back-ups. As of yet, though, Osorio said he hadn't spoken with the players who will be cover for the injured center backs or Guardado.
Pachuca midfielder Erick Gutierrez also is a left-footed midfielder who can play interior midfielder and join the attack and is the most likely replacement for Guardado if the Real Betis midfielder isn't able to recover from a nerve procedure in his leg he underwent just after the European season. Reyes has a hamstring issue, while Moreno is nursing a calf issue. The left-footed center back Oswaldo Alanis could earn a spot if one or both of those players can't go - though the Chivas center back may already be headed to Russia. If so, 20-year-old Edson Alvarez could get the call.
