Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez’s recovery from a fracture in his right ring finger appears to be progressing “in the right direction.”

CALMING CONCERNS

For the first time, the Mar del Plata-born goalkeeper was put through a burst of shots on Friday, with balls aimed directly at his injured hand.

Full involvement, a demanding workload, and still no definitive answers — but Argentina and head coach Lionel Scaloni had reason to feel optimistic ahead of their 2026 FIFA orld Cup opener on Tuesday against Algeria.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper even took a few minutes to join his teammates Geronimo Rulli, Juan Musso, and Santiago Beltran for a session of foot tennis.

“We’re good, we’re good,” he said with a smile as he walked toward the dressing rooms when approached by reporters seeking updates.

With four days to go before the opener, Dibu’s place in the starting lineup will depend on how he responds as training intensity continues to increase.

MORE FROM LA ALBICELESTE

At the Compass Minerals National Performance Center, Argentina’s training base in Kansas City, there was also positive news regarding midfielder Nicolás “Nico” Paz, who had been carefully managed on Thursday but returned to full training on Friday without restrictions.

Julian Alvarez, Leandro Paredes, Gonzalo Montiel, and Nahuel Molina, who had also reported minor discomfort, trained normally with the rest of the squad. The only exception was Nicolás Tagliafico, who is dealing with a strain in his right soleus and worked separately in the gym.

The squad is also awaiting the arrival of centre-back Marcos Senesi, Tottenham’s new signing, who has been called up to replace Leonardo Balerdi after his injury last Saturday.

Watch beIN SPORTS Xtra live for free on YouTube