Lionel Messi has heaped praise on Nico Paz, who's recently been linked with a move to the Premier League ahead of the January transfer window. The 20-year-old midfielder made his senior debut for Argentina during a 6-0 win over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.
Paz, who , replaced Lautaro Martinez with a quarter of an hour left to play. Shortly after coming on, Lionel Scaloni's side netted their fifth of the evening before the youngster teed up Messi for the sixth.
Argentina remain top of the CONMEBOL group. Speaking to reporters after the game, as quoted by , the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner said: "We played very well between the lines, at a high level.
"Now Nico Paz has made his debut, and . He wasn't born when I made my debut in Primera, yes, I knew (laughs). He has a great head.
". He played, he enjoyed it and I think he'll feel comfortable in this team because he likes having the ball."
Paz, who sees his contract expire in June 2028, has , providing three assists. Playing a key role in Cesc Fabregas' side, the newly-promoted Italian outfit seem to have distanced themselves from a relegation scrap.
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
According to , Arsenal and Chelsea are among several clubs closely monitoring Paz's performances. The report states that 'more than half a dozen Premier League sides' showed an interest in the Argentinean prior to his move to Italy from Spain.
add, though, that Real Madrid have a buy-back clause and a 'major' sell-on in the youngster's contract. Fabregas has previously described the Arsenal and Chelsea target as an 'exciting talent'.
Speaking to in the summer, the Spaniard also confirmed that there was a long list of clubs chasing Paz's signature. He said: "There has been a lot of interest in Nico from other clubs and not surprisingly.
"Every minute he was given on the pitch last season with some of the best players in the world he took advantage of to show what he could do and made an impact. He’s an exciting talent, left-footed, great on the wing and in the middle and am looking forward to working with him."
You may also like
PK fields Army ex-vice chief Krishna Singh for Bihar bypoll
Lloyds Bank makes bleak prediction over UK mortgages in grim four-word update
Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: NSP Quits Mahayuti; Party President Mahadev Jankar Says It Will Contest All Seats Independently
It's Hooda vs Selja again before election of Haryana CLP
What Happened To Rachel Yaffe? TikToker Dies After 7-Year Battle With Rare Liver Cancer
Chelsea firmly rejects Liverpool requests after Rio Ngumoha transfer
Strictly's Paul Merson swipes at BBC bosses as fans fume he's doing another 'joke' dance
Remove page on earlier order in 36 hrs, Delhi HC tells Wikipedia
Ange Postecoglou admits he's 'ready to explode' at his Tottenham players this week
Daniil Medvedev made £16k a minute despite fuming in Jannik Sinner humiliation
Phillip Schofield 'keeps up family tradition' as he breaks silence after mum's death
UAE: ADNH Catering raises Dh864 million in successful IPO on Abu Dhabi exchange
Global family businesses promote multistakeholder collaboration
India's diaspora in the Gulf: A catalyst for global influence
Sea traffic in Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait suspended due to heavy fog
Peter Capaldi makes sad admission about finding identity in Doctor Who character
LeBron James reaches out to JuJu Watkins as Caitlin Clark 'pressure' addressed
Nayab Singh Saini gets backing of Haryana MLAs, to take oath as CM today
Future Food Foundry invests more than $5 million in Greeneration
Kin alleges 'baby swap' at hospital