Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of Portugal’s squad for their pre-World Cup friendlies against Mexico and the United States later this month.
The 41-year-old, currently nursing a hamstring injury, has not featured for Al-Nassr since the end of February.
However, Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez insisted the omission is precautionary and does not threaten Ronaldo’s participation at what would be a record sixth FIFA World Cup.
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“It’s a minor injury,” Martinez said, adding that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could return “within one or two weeks.”
“Everything Cristiano has done physically this season shows he is going through an excellent spell and that there are no underlying physical problems.
“At the World Cup, the centre-forward position will be for Cristiano Ronaldo and Goncalo Ramos. We are looking for a third striker with a different profile.”
Portugal face Mexico on March 28 in Mexico City before taking on the United States in Atlanta three days later, in what Martinez described as the final opportunity to fine-tune his squad.
“This is the last chance to experiment, because it’s the final training camp before the World Cup squad is named,” he said.
The tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
Portugal have been drawn in Group K alongside Colombia and Uzbekistan. The final slot will be decided via a play-off involving New Caledonia, Jamaica, or DR Congo.
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