Argentina Manager Lionel Scaloni Says No. 10 Shirt Is 'Waiting' for Lionel Messi

Argentina interim national team manager Lionel Scaloni has told reporters he maintains hope Lionel Messi will return to the team soon, saying the No. 10 shirt is reserved for the Barcelona star.

Per Goal's Sacha Pisani, he was asked about Messi and the shirt during a press conference ahead of the match against Colombia and said:

"There is only one answer for your question: Every player who was in the World Cup kept his number, the ones who came here.

"In this time, the 10 shirt belongs to Messi, and it will stay this way until he decides if he will continue with us or not.

"We aren't closed to that chance so I chose to keep this number for him. In the future we will see, but if you look at the players who played the World Cup you will see they kept their numbers, and we wait for the future to see what happens, but so far no one is using the 10 because it is exclusive for him and that is my decision. There is nothing else about this."

Per TNT Sports, via Mundo Deportivo (h/t Alex Smith of the Mirror), Messi opted to step away from the national team in August. His plan was to see how the side develops over the rest of the year before making a final decision on his international future.

The 31-year-old once again endured heartbreak with the Albiceleste at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as Argentina disappointed before being knocked out by eventual champions France in the last 16. He hasn't tasted success with the team since the 2008 Olympics. 

Argentina were a mess toward the end of Jorge Sampaoli's tenure as manager, so it's easy to see why Messi will wait things out for now. The signs have been good so far under caretaker manager Scaloni, who kicked things off with a 3-0 win over Guatemala. 

Despite the absence of Messi, Scaloni will have plenty of attacking firepower for the friendly against Colombia, as shared by football writer Peter Coates:

Messi's absence could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, providing the forward eventually returns. While he's waiting things out, the likes of Mauro Icardi, Giovanni Simeone, Paulo Dybala and even Lautaro Martinez will have a lot of opportunities to impress, adding to the major talent pool Scaloni gets to choose from.

The 40-year-old didn't end his playing days until 2015 and has limited experience as a manager. Before becoming the interim boss, he had only worked as an assistant.

Colombia and Argentina will meet on Tuesday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.