Maradona: Icardi should be Argentina´s seventh-choice striker

Inter captain Mauro Icardi should be the seventh-choice striker for Argentina, according to national icon Diego Maradona.

Icardi made his Argentina debut a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in 2013, but has yet to make another appearance for the national team.

The 23-year-old was the joint highest-scoring player in Serie A in 2014-15 – his 22 goals matched only by Luca Toni – and has found the net 14 times in the top flight this term, but is yet to feature under Edgardo Bauza.

Bauza has admitted he would be open to selecting Icardi, but Maradona, who has been critical of the striker since he married former Sampdoria team-mate Maxi Lopez’s ex-wife Wanda Nara, feels he should be kept out of the set-up.

“Let Icardi be the seventh striker, not the fourth. Before calling up Icardi, I’d pick [43-year-old Daniel] Bazan Vera,” Maradona told Radio Rivadavia.

“I really like Lucas Pratto. I would prefer to leave Icardi away from the national team.”