Injury boost for Portsmouth loanee as World Cup noise grows around Santos man
A boost for the the Pompey loanee whose World Cup dream with La Albirroja hung in the balance.
Gustavo Caballero has been given the green light for Paraguay involvement after fears his World Cup dream had been crushed.
The Pompey loanee is available for selection for his country’s make-or-break final Group D showdown with Australia on Friday.
Now boss Gustavo Alfaro has to decide whether to turn to the Santos winger, as the clamour grows for Caballero to be given his chance.
The 25-year-old has been sidelined for La Albirroja first two games in the finals, missing their 4-1 opening reverse to USA and Saturday’s 1-0 success over Turkey
An adductor injury kept Caballero out with there fears his World Cup dream would not get off the ground, after his late charge into contention.
He has now rejoined the main group of players in training, however, after rehabbing on his own when arriving in the US.
With former Newcastle United man Miguel Almiron sent off in the Turkey game, as he became the first player sent off at the World Cup for communicating when covering his mouth, Caballero is a natural consideration to fill his role on the right flank.
Alfaro has confirmed that’s the case in a Paraguay press briefing over the weekend, while Palmeiras man Mauricio is another option.
That choice is one of the big talking points going into the Socceroos game, with the two sides both on three points ahead of the San Francisco showdown.
And Caballero has his supporters among his countrymen, with his direct running viewed as a significant asset.
‘Against Australia it is imperative Gustavo Caballero and Mauricio play from the get-go. We have to win,’ said @brighton9173 on X, formerly Twitter.
‘My only interest in this game is to know if Gustavo Caballero is going to play or not,’ added @brunokelton.
Pompey fans will certainly have eyes on Caballero with a view to a possible Fratton return next season.
That’s something Mousinho has indicated the Blues will be keen to do at the right price, with a £2.5m option to buy the player expiring.
The Pompey head coach made it clear Caballero is wanted - at a valuation they see as reasonable.
He told The News in April: ‘Everything is considered when deciding whether to buy Gustavo.
‘Cost, performance, injuries and strategy around what we would do elsewhere. If that money goes into signing him, what do we give up in terms of other players we could possibly bring into that position and other players we could bring into the squad?
‘He fares pretty well on performance and pretty well on injury, apart from the fact he’s injured at the minute, but it’s not a disastrous one.
‘The big question will be on that price point and whether we think that’s a fair reflection of what we believe the market value is. To be honest, in terms of Gus, we’ll see what happens in the summer and look to try to negotiate that.
‘The fixed transfer fee and the option is what it is, but that doesn't mean it’s the only price we could possibly pay. Obviously we could put in any offer at any time.
‘So the only offer we would ever put in is what we value Gus at. By the way, I don’t know what that is, we haven’t had the conversation yet.
‘I think he is well-suited to the Championship because of his athleticism, the fact he runs, he’s exciting, he gets bums off seats. He is the type of right winger we really like.
‘It’s not a difficult decision, we want to pursue it. It won’t be about what we can afford as a club, though, it will be about what we value him as a player and whether that matches Santos' valuation.’