A minor muscular injury has forced LA Galaxy star Giovani dos Santos out of Mexico’s international friendly at Poland on Monday, though his brother and Galaxy teammate Jonathan is expected to be available for El Tri coach Juan Carlos Osorio.
Gio dos Santos, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Hector Herrera are the most prominent losses for Mexico as the squad pivots from Friday’s enthralling 3-3 draw with Belgium to Gdansk, the next leg of their European swing.
“He's got a small muscle complaint and we want to protect him, so unfortunately he can't play,” said Osorio of dos Santos in Sunday's pregame press conference, confirming that the injury-hit trio have returned to their clubs.
The dos Santos brothers are among a sizeable contingent of El Tri regulars aiming to earn their spots on their country’s World Cup roster in the coming months, as Osorio looks ahead to Russia 2018 after leading Mexico to first place in the CONCACAF Hexagonal qualifying round.
