Nathaniel Mendez-Laing explains decision to withdraw from Argentina friendly

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, an attacker for Derby County, will not be playing for Guatemala against Argentina this month because he needs to recuperate from the Rams’ testing campaign.

In order to give his body enough time to heal before playing again with the Rams in the Championship later this summer, Derby County attacker Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has withdrawn from his native Guatemala’s friendly match against Argentina.

The 32-year-old Mendez-Laing has participated in 50 games or more in each of the previous two seasons. Last season, he scored ten goals to help Paul Warne lead the team back to the second division at the second attempt. Earlier this year, he inked a new two-year contract, pledging his future to Derby.

Mendez-Laing has made a commitment to play for Guatemala since leaving Sheffield Wednesday and relocating to the East Midlands. He assisted Guatemala in qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup knockout stages last summer. Following a testing campaign that saw the Rams rewarded with a return to the second division, Mendez-Laing has opted not to play for his country and add to his already impressive 11 caps.