Manchester United and Tottenham could be without a host of high-profile stars in November - if Argentina decide to press ahead with a request for their players to be excused from domestic duty the week before the World Cup begins, a new report has claimed.
The showpiece tournament kicks off in Qatar on November 20, but the Premier League and other top European competitions are set to continue staging games right up until the week before the host nation entertain Ecuador in the tournament opener.
But according to a fresh report from Doble Amarilla, the wishes of Argentina could cause a major headache for some top teams around Europe in the final few days before the tournament.
The report claims that Argentina will ask for any players who are heading to the World Cup to be excused from the final fixture before domestic competitions break for a month. And that could have major repercussions on some of the top teams in the Premier League.
Manchester United new boy Lisandro Martinez is highly likely to head off to the tournament along with Cristian Romero, meaning both Erik ten Hag and Antonio Conte could be forced to play on without key defenders in the final league match before the Premier League's mid-season break if the request is made and adhered to.
Talks would be held with any of the players who potentially be involved before any concrete decisions are made, though it's possible any agreement could lead to other countries following suit. It is, however, noted in the report that Premier League clubs would be unlikely to accept such a request.
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If an agreement is struck, other clubs such as Aston Villa and Brighton could also be affected, with established top-flight names such as Emiliano Martinez and Alexis MacAllister likely to feature in Lionel Scaloni's squad. Manchester City new boy Julian Alvarez could also be included in the 26-man party that will jet off to Qatar.
Teams participating in the tournament are expected to name their squads next month, although the official deadline for squads to be submitted is not until November 13.
Gareth Southgate has just one more match before he is expected to name his initial England squad for the tournament on October 21. The Three Lions lock horns with Wembley in their final Nations League clash just days after they were relegated following a 1-0 defeat against Italy at the San Siro.
The dismal result extends England's winless run to five matches and piles even more pressure on Southgate, who was booed for the second consecutive match by the disgruntled fans who had made the trip to Milan.
