United Could Lose Heinze to Olympics

By Chris O'Brien
July 15 2004

Manchester United could lose recent acquisition Gabriel Heinze for the opening seven games of the season due to Argentina's participation in the Olympic Games. The defender could find himself as one of the three over-23 players named in the final squad for the tournament held in Athens.

Manchester United's recent acquisition Gabriel Heinze may not be available for selection at the start of the Premiership season in August. The 25-year-old defender could be representing Argentina in the Olympic games in Athens meaning he could miss upto 7 crucial Red Devils games as the season gets underway.

The centre-half, currently representing his country in the Copa America Championship, has been named in the provisional squad for the Olympic tournament and maybe included in the final squad announced within the foreseeable future. His inclusion would see him miss the two European Cup qualifiers, the Community Shield match against Arsenal and the four opening Premier League fixtures, a massive blow for United.

Olympic rules say only 3 players over the age of 23 are allowed to be selected in the football squads for the tournament, so it was originally thought Heinze would be overlooked, however it would seem that Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa wants the no nonsense defender in his squad for the historic competition.

Should Bielsa select the defender then there is nothing Sir Alex Ferguson or anyone else at Old Trafford could do to prevent him missing the start of the season, resulting in a defensive crisis at the Theatre of Dreams. Rio Ferdinand is banned until September after foolishly missing a drugs test, and with John O'Shea struggling to be fit for the start of the campaign, United could be stretched to the limit as the season gets underway.

United have already lost Cristiano Ronaldo for the start of the season due to Olympic commitments, and should Heinze be selected to boost Argentina's bid for the gold then it would be a real blow for the club. Argentina enter the tournament as favourites, and Bielsa is hoping to lead a South American nation to football gold for the first time since the sport was re-introduced in 1936.