If Giovani dos Santos enjoys a strong season with the LA Galaxy, the door will be open for his return to the Mexican national team, according to Mexico head coach Juan Carlos Osorio.
The LA Galaxy forward met with Osorio on Friday before the Galaxy traveled to Las Vegas for their preseason match with the San Jose Earthquakes. The meeting was engineered as part of Osorio's plans to speak with each Mexican international playing abroad.
After the chat with the Galaxy striker, Osorio was left encouraged that Dos Santos can work his way into his plans for the upcoming year.
"Fortunately, we were able to find a way to speak with Giovani dos Santos in person, and it was a very positive chat. In Gio we found a receptive man who listened carefully to our arguments, we mainly discussed the issue of the situation as we see it," Osorio said in a press release. "We invited him to get into his top form so that he is able to fight for a spot in the upcoming national team call-ups.
"Giovani was very receptive and said that he will give everything to be the player or one of the top three most influential players in MLS, and compete for a spot on the national team by showing his good level and performance," Osorio added. "After watching him train I confirmed his talent, he had great assists and scored a good goal, he also had some great set pieces. At the end of practice, he came over to say goodbye very polite and courteous. I now think there’s a great display from the technical staff toward the player and Giovani made a positive statement of commitment toward the national team.”
In addition to speaking with Dos Santos, Osorio also chatted with Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, who informed the Mexico boss that he intends to play Dos Santos in a variety of positions in the midfield this season. With his meeting with Dos Santos complete, Osorio admitted that he intends to keep an eye on the Mexican international's progress by attending the Galaxy's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal second leg in Torreon next month.
"We met an objective with the visit [Friday] as this will all pay off, and obviously, all that remains is to give the necessary scouting and watch his games," Osorio said. "There will be a chance to see him live in the return leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Santos Laguna in Torreon, we will be there, we will follow him closely as we do with all our players to make the best decision. For him, for his family, for the national team and obviously for the good of Mexican soccer.”
