WITH no first team action for Everton since injuring his knee on international duty almost a year ago, Ramiro Funes Mori has been recalled to the Argentina squad.

He is set for action at this month’s friendlies against Spain and Italy – a sure sign that coach Jorge Sampaoli is counting on him for the World Cup.

This gives rise to two questions. Can he make a complete recovery in time for Russia? And even if he can, is he good enough?

I thought he would be a disaster in the Premier League when he joined Everton – and was delighted to be proved wrong.

But by the time he suffered his injury, many Everton fans had lost patience with him.

For all his fist clenching passion, he is extremely erratic.

I have seldom seen a centre back scuff so many defensive clearances, his positional sense is not always sound.

And though he is excellent at attacking the ball in the opponent’s penalty area, his defensive heading does not carry the same authority.

He is also prone to reckless tackles. He played ten games in Argentina’s troubled World Cup qualification campaign.

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He picked up a yellow card in six of them, including a run of four games in a row.

That included a 3-0 drubbing away to Brazil, when he (and, to be fair, Nicolas Otamendi) looked out of his depth against Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and Phillippe Coutinho.

 

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