Mexico is already playing the Gold Cup 2021 with the mission of winning back-to-back trophies. However, El Tri had a few setbacks before the tournament and at the beginning of the competition, losing some of their key players like Andrés Guardado and ‘Chucky’ Lozano.
Andrés Guardado is the captain and one of the most experienced players of Mexico. However, the Real Betis midfielder isn’t part of the Mexico roster for the Gold Cup as he suffered an injury just weeks before the start of the competition.
After receiving the results of the medical tests, head coach Tata Martino decided that Guardado wasn’t going to take action in the current Gold Cup. He decided to call Erick Sánchez of Pachuca to replace him. Here, check out why Guardado is out of the Gold Cup.
Why isn’t Andrés Guardado playing for Mexico in the Gold Cup 2021?
Guardado was in camp with Mexico in Los Angeles ahead of their friendly match against Nigeria on July 3. However, he suffered a muscle tear injury. The Real Betis midfielder will be out of action for a month, and he’s even in doubt for the start of the Spanish league.
That’s why Tata Martino decided to call Erick Sánchez to join the squad. The Pachuca player started 17 games in the Torneo Clausura of Mexico and scored four goals. He’s been with the national team before and Martino knows him well.
Despite Guardado not being in the squad, Mexico still has a strong midfield with experienced players such as : La Galaxy’s Jonathan dos Santos, Atlético de Madrid’s Héctor Herrera, PSV Erick Gutiérrez or Jesús Gallardo of Monterrey.