Julian Araujo has been left out of Mexico’s squad for upcoming friendlies amid concerns over his Celtic availability.
In a bitter blow to the defender, his chances of a place in the squad for a home World Cup this summer now look slimmer than ever.
Araujo missed Celtic’s win over Motherwell with an unnamed issue which wasn’t implied to be serious by Martin O’Neill.
However, despite Mexico boss Javier Aguirre revealing talks with Araujo last week, he hasn’t given him the nod in his latest selection.
Will Celtic regret not inserting an option to buy in their Julian Araujo loan from Bournemouth?
Celtic’s Julian Araujo misses out on Mexico squad
Colby Donovan deputised for Araujo in the Motherwell game, but he himself was withdrawn due to injury on 78 minutes.
This led to Anthony Ralston – who had been named in a domestic matchday squad for the first time since January 25th – playing the last 12 minutes.
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Jesse Marsch has confirmed that Alistair Johnston is set to return to action within the coming weeks for Celtic, further adding to O’Neill’s right-back options.
It has also been a busy period for Araujo personally, since his partner gave birth to a son named Angelo Jude.
As for Aguirre’s Mexico selection, Jorge Sanchez of PAOK and Richard Ledezma of Guadalajara – the latter of whom has just two caps – have been preferred to the Hoops loanee.
Araujo has 16 caps, but hasn’t appeared for the national side since the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final against Luis Palma’s Honduras last July.
Mexico will play all three of their group stage matches at this summer’s tournament in their home country, including two at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
They have been drawn in Group A against South Africa, South Korea and one of Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia and the Republic of Ireland.
The upcoming tournament will doubtless have been a motivation for Araujo’s decision to join Celtic in the first place, with playing time desperately short at Bournemouth.
When Alistair Johnston returns to fitness, would you pick him over Julian Araujo?
Martin O’Neill on Celtic’s Julian Araujo
Asked about Araujo, O’Neill told BBC Sportsound ahead of last weekend’s game: “Yeah, he’s picked up an injury during the course of the week.
“Well, [he] felt very very tight after Sunday’s game as well, too. With a little bit of time, he’s just felt a little bit in the thigh.
“We thought, ‘Oh, well there’s no point in risking it.’, and just to leave him for today.”
The defender has made 13 appearances on loan in Glasgow, establishing himself as something of a fan favourite.
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