Why was Hirving Lozano not called up for Mexico's 2022 summer matches?

Mexico has a number of friendly matches ahead of it in the summer of 2022. This is no ordinary summer, as it is the prelude to the long-awaited and eagerly awaited FIFA World Cup, so every match is an opportunity to earn a place in Gerardo Tata Martino‘s roster for Qatar 2022.But for some, like Hirving Lozano, that will not be the case.

The current SSC Napoli striker was not included in the list of 38 players called up by Martino to face the five matches that make up the block of matches that El Tri will play in the summer. It is well known that except for some exceptions or special cases, those who were not included in this squad have little or no chance of playing in Qatar 2022.

In addition to the already celebrated match against Nigeria, in which Tata Martino opted to give an opportunity to young players looking to earn a place in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Mexico will face Uruguay, Ecuador, Suriname and Jamaica; the first two in friendly matches and the latter two in the CONCACAF Nations League.

The reason for Hirving Lozano’s absence from the Mexico National Team

It was February 2, 2022, one more of the complicated and exhausting days of the 2022 Concacaf World Cup 2022 Qualifiers and Mexico was hosting Panama at the Azteca Stadium. El Tri overcame the Central Americans 1-0, but the final score of the match was not entirely good due to the fact that Hirving Lozano went off injured in the 66th minute.

The action that left Lozano out was a collision with Panamanian defender Michael Murillo, in which he fell on his right shoulder. After this accident, Lozano returned to the field a month later with Napoli but at the end of the season he again complained of the same ailment.

So, with a new season in Italy on the horizon and, evidently, with the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in mind, Hirving Lozano decided to undergo surgery to properly fix his right shoulder, which is why he was not called up by Tata Martino for the friendly and preparatory matches for the World Cup in Mexico in the summer.

Although for many Mexican players, these matches are their last chance to qualify for Qatar 2022, Hirving Lozano is surely one of the names who, if healthy, will defend Mexico’s colors at the upcoming FIFA World Cup.