Jhon Arias was a surprising omission from Colombia’s upcoming international friendlies, with the winger usually an ever-present player.
The 28-year-old has not been in the best form since the last break, but the last two games have seen him come to life.
He was impressive against Everton in the Carabao Cup and later followed it up with a man-of-the-match performance against Tottenham.
Reports suggest Jhon Arias was left out to help him develop at Wolves, but the player himself was left shocked by the decision as well.
Here is how Colombian fans have taken the news.
Colombian fans react to Jhon Arias being left out of national team squad
The news of Jhon Arias being left out may have shocked the player, but it also surprised fans of the national team.
Colombian fans took to social media to react to the news.
One fan believed head coach Nestor Lorenzo picked his ‘favourites’ and not the best option, saying, “Lorenzo’s friends called up. Without Camilo Vargas. Without Jhon Arias. And with the super-duper goalscorer Borre hahahaha.”
Another fan had the same sentiment but was hopeful Arias’ exclusion was just due to the games being friendlies stating, “They’re going to take me to jail, where are Jhon Arias and Camilo Vargas??? And why are Montero, Yaser Asprilla, and Santos Borré there??????????? I hope it’s because they’re friendlies…”
One Colombian national team fan believes Arias is Los Cafeteros’ best midfielder, saying, “The best Colombian midfielder is Arias, and he’s not here. There’s no coach.”
Meanwhile another stated, “They don’t call up Jhon Arias and they call up Borre??? What a joke! I’m laughing.”
Jhon Arias needs time off
Jhon Arias joined Wolves after a hectic campaign with Fluminense.
Due to the schedule of the Club World Cup, Arias has not had any time off.
While he will still likely be doing work over the training ground during the international break, it could be worthwhile for Vitor Pereira to take it easy with him.
He’s had no chance to rest and has been playing football pretty much every week since the start of February.
It would not be ideal if the player starts to get fatigued or injured coming up to a crucial time of the season.