Alejandro Garnacho made a personal request to Erik ten Hag, asking the Manchester United manager to let him join up with his Argentina colleagues for the Under-20 World Cup.
Argentina failed to qualify for the tournament, but have earned a reprieve after hosts Indonesia were stripped of their status as hosts. The Albiceleste have now stepped in as the host nation, giving Garnacho and his colleagues a chance to claim glory on home soil.
Things have been complicated by the fact that the tournament begins on May 20, before the end of the Premier League season. A deep run for Argentina could see Garnacho miss three Premier League games and the FA Cup final, but he has made clear his desire to represent his country after missing out on January's South American Under-20 Championships.
According to Doble Amarilla, Garnacho told Ten Hag: "I need to write my story with the Argentina shirt. I ask you to please let me go.”
Argentina under-23 boss Javier Mascherano will still be able to call on a number of European-based players. One of those is Maximo Perrone, with Manchester City allowing the January arrival to link up with his country.
The situation regarding Brighton's Facundo Buonanotte is said to be more complicated, though. The Seagulls are said to be keen to keep the teenager around as they push for Europe, with reports suggesting no resolution has been reached on the club vs country dilemma.
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United needed Garnacho for their domestic matches in January, with the teenager impressing in a Manchester Derby victory among other games. Without the Spanish-born star in their squad, Mascherano's under-20s lost four of their five group games to suffer an early exit in their continental championships.
Brazil finished top of the final standings, with Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos finishing the competition as joint-top scorer. Uruguay, Colombia and Ecuador also booked their place in the World Cup, with Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran also playing no part for Colombia despite initially being called up.
Man Utd travel to Bournemouth on May 20, the same day on which Argentina begin their World Cup campaign. They also have league outings against Chelsea and Fulham in the following days, but a group stage exit for Mascherano's side could yet see Garnacho return in time for the FA Cup final on June 3.
Garnacho has been out of action since March 12, when he suffered an ankle injury in a Premier League draw against Southampton. The injury kept him out of contention for Argentina's senior side during the last international break, but he is working his way back to match-fitness.
