By Daniel Edwards
29 Apr 2011 18:18:00
Carlos Tevez celebrates having scored for Argentina against Mexico (Getty Images)
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Carlos Tevez appears set to miss out on the 2011 Copa America, after Argentina coach Sergio Batista declared that the Manchester City striker was not among his list of priorities for the tournament.
Batista is currently in Europe visiting players who are being considered for a place in the 22-man squad, and will travel to Manchester on Friday.
Speaking on Thursday night, however, he confirmed that injured Tevez’s City team-mate Pablo Zabaleta was the only person he would be talking to during his trip.
He told Radio La Plata: “I will not be chatting to Tevez on this visit, no. I will go to Manchester to talk with Zabaleta, it is for footballing reasons. I have already said, no-one, including Carlos, has been ruled out.”
The trainer, however, added that the striker was low on his list of preferences for the tournament on home soil, as he deflected a direct question on whether the ex-Boca Juniors star would be travelling.
“We’ll see, we’ll see, our number nine is Messi and Gonzalo Higuain is there. Carlos is not high in my priorities, that is true,” Batista concluded.
Tevez has not figured in an Albiceleste squad since November, when he pulled out of the team to face Brazil claiming injury only to play for his club a few days later.
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Sergio Batista: Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez is not one of my priorities for Argentina