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Tottenham Hotspur’s Marcos Senesi has been called up to Argentina’s World Cup squad.
Senesi has replaced Marseille’s Leonardo Balerdi in a like-for-like centre-back swap in Lionel Scaloni’s squad.
Tottenham only announced the 29-year-old’s arrival on Wednesday, with the defender signing a four-year contract. He will officially join Spurs on July 1, when his Bournemouth contract expires.
Senesi has only been capped three times for Argentina since making his debut in 2022, shortly before he joined Bournemouth from Dutch side Feyenoord. His last national team appearance came in the home friendly against Mauritania in March.
Senesi was included in Scaloni’s 55-man preliminary squad which was announced on May 11, but was cut from the finalised 26-player selection made at the end of the month.
However, he has been called-up after Marseille’s Balerdi, 27, suffered a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg.
Balerdi had been included as one the centre-backs ahead of Senesi, as well as Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, Benfica’s Nicolas Otamendi, his Marseille team-mate Facundo Medina and Cristian Romero of Spurs.
Argentina begin their World Cup when they face Algeria on June 16. They then play Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27. Scaloni’s side beat Honduras 2-0 and Iceland 3-0 in their pre-tournament friendlies.