Injured Cavani in Uruguay squad

Edinson Cavani has been included in the 23-man Uruguay squad to face Austria next month, despite suffering from a hamstring problem.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker has not played for his club since suffering the injury in a 2-0 win over Bordeaux at the end of last month, but Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has included him in the party to travel to Austria for a friendly on March 5.

On Tuesday, PSG confirmed that Cavani would return to first-team training soon, and so may be fit to line up next month as his country begin their preparations for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

After the friendly in Klagenfurt, Uruguay’s next friendlies will both be at home in Montevideo, against Northern Ireland and Slovenia, on May 30 and June 4 respectively.

Tabarez’s side have been drawn in Group D for the finals, alongside England, Italy and Costa Rica and Cavani is seen as key to their hopes of winning the tournament for a third time.

They will be hoping history will repeat itself this year, their last victory also coming on Brazilian soil in 1950, when they shocked the hosts 2-1 in the final.

Uruguay’s record cap holder Diego Forlan (107) and record goalscorer Luis Suarez (39) are also in the squad.

Squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Rodrigo Munoz (Libertad), Fernando Muslera (Galatasary), Martin Silva (Vasco de Gama)

Defenders: Martin Caceres (Juventus), Jorge Fucile (Santos), Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Diego Lugano (West Brom), Alvaro Pereira (Sao Paolo), Maxi Pereira (Benfica), Alejandro Silva (Lanus)

Midfielders: Walter Gargano (Parma), Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio), Nicolas Lodeiro (Botafogo), Diego Perez (Bologna), Gaston Ramirez (Southampton), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Morelia), Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards: Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka), Abel Hernandez (Palermo), Cristian Stuani (Espanyol), Luis Suarez (Liverpool)