Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has been called up to Argentina's preliminary squad for their World Cup qualifying matches later in March despite not playing competitively this year.
Romero has been sidelined with a groin injury since he limped off during Spurs' 4-3 loss at home to Chelsea on December 8.
The centre-back was spotted training towards the end of January but has yet to return with his recovery described as a 'slow-burner' by Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, who has more recently revealed Romero is close to a comeback.
Nevertheless, Romero's inclusion in the preliminary squad for Argentina's World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay (March 21) and Brazil (March 26) is likely to raise eyebrows.