Argentina are set to appoint Lionel Scaloni on a permanent basis after his positive spell in charge of the national team as interim coach, according to ESPN sources.
The Argentina Football Association (AFA) are expected to make an announcement in the next 24 hours to confirm Scaloni, who is set to sign a two-year contract.
Scaloni was promoted from the Argentina Under-20 side to take temporary charge of the Albiceleste following Jorge Sampaoli’s sacking shortly after the World Cup.
Under Scaloni, Argentina have won four and lost one of their six games since their round-of-16 exit from the tournament in Russia this summer.
They have done so without Lionel Messi, who has taken a leave of absence since captaining the national team at the World Cup.
AFA president Claudio Tapia said earlier this month he was happy with the work done by Scaloni and did not rule out for the former Argentina international to remain in charge.
Scaloni admitted after Argentina’s 2-0 win over Mexico in an friendly earlier this month that his biggest regret was not to have coached Messi.
Messi has not publicly spoken about his international future but AFA president Claudio Tapia is confident that Messi will return to play for Argentina in 2019.
Several Argentina players, including Paulo Dybala and Mauro Icardi, have given their support for Scaloni’s permanency.
If confirmed, Scaloni will oversee the next two Copa Americas and the four 2022 World Cup qualifiers.